Panorama NYC was full of incredible moments this year — from St. Vincent shredding on the guitar to Fleet Foxes performing at sunset and The xx delivering a stunning performance to end their I See You tour. However, one of the most exciting music discovery moments came in the form of the Bud Light’s Dive Bar Session stage. The activation featured performances all weekend from artists like Loote, City of the Sun, Cloves, Olivia Nolle and more. Olivia took the time to hop on the phone with B-Sides to discuss her experience:
Tell me about the experience of playing the Bud Light’s Dive Bar Sessions at Panorama.
My experience was phenomenal. The energy of the crowd was so cool and it was my first time being at a festival, let alone playing one. I was a little bit nervous, but it was insane energy. I loved every second of it.
What was it like to share the stage with so many other rising artists with Bud Light’s Dive Bar Sessions?
Some of my really good friends were playing which is cool. I’ve been following it for a while, since Lady Gaga did the Dive Bar Tour and then Post Malone and John Mayer. That’s a sick stage to share with those artists. My friends Lo Moon played it and their the day one homies, so that was really cool to both play our first festival on the same stage.
Who was your favorite Panorama performer?
I have deep, deep, deep love for SZA. I think she’s an amazing performer and she’s been going through a lot, but in spite of all that, she put on such a great show. She clearly loves her music and her fans so that was really dope to see. Also, City of the Sun was so good. I couldn’t even believe what I was watching – it blew my mind.
What has the last year or so been like creating for you?
We just released the EP (If Boys Could Cry) in June, but it takes a little while to come up with a plan. I didn’t want to wait, I’ve been writing and collaborating with people and the collaborations I do have are just so cool. I’m so excited about the music that’s coming. It took me a while to get to the point to be able to write that EP, so it was a really long process. Now that I’ve done it and released it, I feel like “Oh, I can do this. I can be honest with my music and put it out.” Some people will love it and some will hate it, but who cares. I have so many ideas coming out of me all the time and we have so much great music ready. I’m so excited about it
How would you describe the sound?
It’s definitely pop. I went back to my R&B roots a little bit with some of the stuff, kind of an homage to the music I grew up on and what started this journey originally. I’m always going to write pop music, it’s just in my blood, but there’s definitely an R&B twist to this sound.
What else do you want people to know about your music?
All of my music is me. When I first started writing, I thought I was just writing music for myself, but the more I’ve been performing out and getting to meet people who are listening to my music and becoming friends with people over social media, I’m realizing that it’s a lot deeper than that. All I’m trying to do is be honest with my music. I’m working on having bigger ideas and bigger concepts with my records and I’ve been super emotionally affected by the way our world has been working for the last two and a half year. I’m working on finding a way to put that into words where it’s not preachy, but relatable and something that people can connect to. Now that my first project is out and that initial fear is over, I feel like the music is just getting more and more honest.
Check out more on Olivia!
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