Emerging Artist Olivia Montgomery Takes On the Music Scene With Her Latest Track ‘Fortify Me’
By Rebecca Sobrevilla
Olivia Montgomery is a rising alternative and indie rock artist based in Nashville, Tennessee. She has been creating a name for herself in the music scene by growing support from her local community and forming strong connections with industry professionals. Over the last two years, she has performed at a number of live shows and has written and recorded plenty of new tracks.
In a recent interview with Jaded Productions, Olivia gave us all the details on her musical journey, her new single ‘Fortify Me’ and more!
Musical Journey and Experiences
Olivia grew up in San Diego, California and has always had a bright passion for music and a desire for a career in the industry. She mentions that, “this has always been the only thing that I’ve ever wanted to do”. She started writing songs in fifth grade and continued to grow her artistic strengthsas she also learned to produce her own music in high school. While she prided herself on writing and producing all of her own music, that changed when she moved to Nashville, Tennessee. She became more collaborative in every respect: “Collaboration is actually such a beautiful thing. I’ve grown so much since I’ve been here just by learning from other people and working with other people, which has been really cool.”
Additionally, living in Nashville continued to strengthen her artistry and her devotion towards her career. Nashville is famously known for its music scene and is often referred to as “Music City”. With being based out of this area, she finds it extremely helpful and motivating to be surrounded by so many who are just as passionate as she is about the industry. She notes that the Nashville community is extremely supportive, something not often seen in other cities. She was also shocked to see how big the Indie scene is in this city. She has found that her sound has indirectly been altered as a result given that her previous work was different before moving there.
Aside from just living in Nashville, she also attends Belmont University where she majors in songwriting, which have also furthered her abilities and connections. At Belmont, she has developed her writing structures and learned how to create songs in different genres and even met most of her current bandmates. She currently lives with her guitarist and bassist and finds it very stimulating living with other musicians. The three of them have cultivated a very fun atmosphere that has made creating music an easier process. She notes that if she ever has an idea, she can knock on their door and work on it and talk it out.
These circumstances have resulted in an array of opportunities for Olivia. She has been able to perform at a multitude of live shows and played her first headlining show at the East Room earlier this year. She recounts starting the day with classes and, while this show was an exciting experience, it never sunk in that it was her first headlining show. She was so used to performing live that it felt very natural and normal for her. Overall, she has loved the experiences she has gained from Belmont University and residing in Nashville. She credits her successes to these opportunities as they have had a substantial impact on her growth as an artist.
Latest Release ‘Fortify Me’
Olivia’s latest track, ‘Fortify Me’ was released on November 15th, and is a very personal song portraying a lot of heavy feelings and emotions. Its raw and powerful lyrics accompanied by a rising high tempo makes it a perfect start for one of her first releases. When asked why she chose to release this particular single, Olivia said, “Most of the songs I was writing were a lot sadder and just you know, low energy. I just wanted my first release to have a higher level of energy. Something that could actually really grab listeners attention and hold it.” Typically, a lot of the songs she has written are sad and slow paced, but since the creation of “Fortify Me”, she has been writing more uptempo songs.
When it comes to the song's inspiration, Olivia started writing “Fortify Me” after a conversation with someone she was once close to. She ended up writing a lot of the song that night and the very next day at a coffee shop. “The easiest way to sum it up is it’s a song about perception. Like perception of yourself and of other people’s perception of you and how that can change not only your perception of yourself but also your actions.” She wrote it as an internal dialogue that accompanies the emotions she felt during this time. She specifically focused on channeling her anger and spent a lot of time getting the lyrics right in order to express herself in an interesting way that also captivates audiences.
“Fortify Me” is filled with impressive lyricism that really captures the emotions she is attempting to portray. She is most proud of the first verse’s lyric, “Poison only works if you’re not used to it / I fed it to myself first”. She pictured the concept of building immunity from negativity she faces and took inspiration from the film Princess Bride. When relating it back to her own experience, she says, “I’ve built immunity to these negative things. Like I’ve been telling myself all of these things and I have this immunity now because what you’re saying can’t hurt me.”.
While this track means a great deal to her, Olivia hopes it allows listeners to feel their own emotions and take whatever they want from it: “That’s the beauty of songwriting to me and music. There can be a song that was written about a very personal experience but it can mean a hundred different things to a hundred different people. It could be similar but people can apply their own unique experiences to that.” The universality that comes with songs and their lyrics is a big reason why she has always been drawn to music. This is a feeling she hopes to continue with the future of her music.
What’s Next for Olivia Montgomery?
Olivia has a lot of aspirations for her career’s future. A huge goal of hers is to go on tour, even if it means she is only someone else’s opener. However, headlining her own tour is her ultimate dream, hoping to one day play the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville or the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. For now, she is continuing to channel her emotions and creativity through music and is working on a project she plans to release next year. She says, “Definitely expect more music. I can’t give any dates or anything but expect more music at the top of next year. Definitely more shows in Nashville too.” Olivia has such a bright future ahead of her and is only getting started. Stay tuned for her next project and the rest of her journey!
Where to find Olivia Montgomery: Instagram / Spotify / Apple Music