Diandra Interviews Olivia Lunny: Thinking of Yourself As An Artist

OoOooOoOo I LOVE Olivia Lunny’s new single, Think of Me. It is a ready-made summer track, which feel surprising, considering most quarantined people have loss their sense of time. Forget weekdays…. now we just have days. Yet, that makes Think of Me feel more vibrant and helpful in igniting our imagination towards sunny beaches, healthy smiles, and a world of warm weather and sexy hook-ups that are not, literally, endangering. The summer is a time for fun, love connections, and Olivia’s Think of Me understands you have to let go to go forward. In our interview, we discuss how childhood memories, The Launch, and old break-ups have molded her as an artist.

Diandra: What is one thing a break-up taught you about how you love others and how you desire to be loved by others?

Olivia Lunny: No love is perfect- I’ve learned to love fully and unapologetically. People come into our lives for “reasons and seasons,” and as I grow older I’ve really begun to understand that.  

Olivia Lunny – Think Of Me (Official Audio)

Diandra: If music could, literally, become a person and swoop you off your feet, what would you say are the qualities of romance or acts of love it gives you?

Olivia Lunny: I’ve always confided in music; songs that make me feel at home and joyful are the best. Music  also motivates me; a bomb playlist can be the reason I push to run an extra mile in a workout. These would be “winning” characteristics if music became a knight in shining armour.  

Diandra: How do you see “Think of Me” embodies your current confidence in relationships, especially the one with yourself?

Olivia Lunny: I’m at a place where I feel a lot of acceptance and ease in my life. “Think of Me” has a similar feel. The lyrics acknowledge past feelings and experiences. However, the music, itself, has an uplifting vibe that creates a nice contrast.

Diandra: Was there a specific moment that inspired the song or, at least, a favored memory of your process in making it?

Olivia Lunny: When my producer, AJ Healy, and I started doing vocals for the song, I was goofing around and made some funny sounds on the mic. He ended up incorporating some of those into the song. For example, you can hear “chicka ah” right before the pre-chorus. I love how it adds my personality into the song. 

Diandra: What is one love story you wish you could transfer into a song and why?

Olivia Lunny: My parents love story. They met on a train, fell in love, and have been happily married for 27 years now! I feel like it’s a rarity for people to meet like that nowadays so it could make a pretty cool song. 

Olivia Lunny – I Got You (The Launch Season 2 Performance)

Diandra: How has quarantine changed how you create and consume music?

Olivia Lunny: Through this quarantine, I have been writing and listening to music more than ever! I’m a homebody, and, sometimes, can be an introvert so I’ve really cherished this time and am grateful for my health too. There are so many people on the frontline, working incredibly hard right now, and I want to commend them for keeping us all safe.

Diandra: With your music being so therapeutic, in cause and effect, what is a wound or insecurity you feel music helped you overcome?

Olivia Lunny: I find I write the best when I have things weighing on my heart. Breakups tend to stir up lots of emotion; using music through uncertain times is the biggest thing that helps me. 

Diandra: In retrospect, what are the things you learned, from The Launch, about the music industry and the things you had to learn on your own?

Olivia Lunny: Being on the show really made me realize I had a next “gear”. Being challenged isn’t always comfortable, but it’s usually a sign of growth which proved to be true for me through my experience on The Launch.

Diandra: How do you feel it taught you the power of creating an artist image? How would you define yours?

Olivia Lunny: I would describe my “artist image” as ever evolving. I have, however, found myself becoming more and more certain and confident in my ideas and aesthetic choices so i’m really excited to continue playing around with it.

Olivia Lunny – Blacklight (Official Music Video)

Diandra: As a songwriter, what is your favourite, most personal lyric and why?

Olivia Lunny:  “Cigarette inside your hand, wish you would hold me like that” This is a lyric from a song that hasn’t come out yet (stay tuned…!) I’m proud of the poetry in the lyric itself, but I also attach it to a really strong emotion and to me, feeling something strong as a result of music/lyrics is the ultimate goal. 

Me: THAT IS A GOOD LYRIC!

Diandra: What is your favorite childhood memory of music?

Olivia Lunny: My dad would always play “You Are My Sunshine” on guitar and he would let me strum while he chorded the song, for some reason I have a really vivid memory of that 🙂

Diandra: Describe your personality according to your favorite songs. For example, “The Beatles’ Yesterday: Nostalgic”

Olivia Lunny: This question is a hard one for me to answer! I don’t think I can narrow it down to a single song but as an album I would describe myself as “Viva la Vida” Coldplay. I love how the album ebbs and flows between vibrant uplifting songs/feels and more mellow contemplative ones!

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