Luton’s rising star: an interview with Olivia Lynn

Between being an up and coming singer and a mum, what do you do to wind down?

To be fair, the only thing I’d say to wind down is Netflix. I absolutely love Netflix. I’m a massive horror fanatic. I love horror movies. So my version of winding down is sitting there and screaming at a horror movie for an hour and 30 minutes straight.

Interesting, what’s your favourite horror movie?

World War Z. Yeah, zombies, zombie apocalypse movies, they’ve got my heart.

As someone who’s from Luton, how does it feel to have so many opportunities for yourself and fellow local music artists?

It’s really inspiring. I mean, growing up in Luton, it’s been a whirlwind. It’s been crazy. I do feel very privileged that I have had a lot of opportunities along the way growing up and a lot of gigs, and I’ve done a lot of charity work as well. But I think it’s deserving that Luton’s finally getting the voice that it needs and the recognition that it deserves, and a lot of the local talent as well to show that good things can come out of Luton.

Do you have a favourite venue in Luton to hear live music? Is this also your favourite venue to perform in?

Yes, yes I do. I have the same venue, it’s The Castle. They’re just amazing there. Connor is an absolute legend. He has been so supportive of my career and he hosts the best music nights ever. So if you’re local, go to The Castle and if you’re not local, still go to The Castle.

Are you excited for the future of Luton and how this may benefit your career? For example, more events, The Stage and Power Court developments.

Yeah, I think it’s needed is definitely one thing I’ll say hands down. The opportunities it’s going to give people are endless. I’m really, really excited for Power Court. I must admit, I am really excited. I’ve heard talks that they might be hosting some stage stuff in the middle and some more musicians. So I think that’ll be a really good opportunity. Maybe my next goal in life is to perform half-time at a Luton Town football game, so who knows?

You have spoken about your love for Dolly Parton, what would a typical ‘9 to 5’ look like for Olivia Lynn?

Oh, do you know what, guys? It’s really, it depends. I’ve got like two different sides for Olivia Lynn. I’ve got a typical nine to five mum life, which is, you know, waking up with my little girl and spending the day with her amongst doing things like this, interviews and podcasts and Zooms and things like that.

Or gig nine to five is so, so different. It’s like I’m two different people. I’m Olivia Lynn, I wake up and I’ve got to put the cowboy hat on and mum life has to stay at home. I’m very privileged to have my mum look after my little girl for me when I’m gigging. So I wake up, I’m doing my vocal warm-ups, I’m getting ready for gigs, I’m writing out set lists, meeting the band and yeah, rocking it on stage.

How does it feel to be so well known in your local area – has the feedback been positive, is there any aspects that you have struggled with? 

It feels so… It feels like an honour, to be honest. And it’s weird because, like… I still don’t class myself as well-known, whereas a lot of people out there obviously look at me and do think, you know, because I do social media and because of my music career, that I am quite well known. But it does feel like an honour, it feels like a privilege. The only thing I would say is there’s actually been a few times when I’ve been out in public and, you know, it’s hard for people to differentiate Olivia Lynn, country singer, to Olivia Lynn, mum.

So there’s been times I’ve been out with my little girl, and people are coming up to me asking for pictures and things like that and yeah, that’s the only aspect which I think is, it’s not bad, I still love it, you know, egotistically I do love it but yeah, that difference, I think it’s amazing and it’s really inspiring for others to know that they can do this and just because you’re from Luton doesn’t mean you can’t make it.

Can it be nerve-wracking playing in your hometown as you will likely know so many people in the audience?

It’s so funny you say this because this is one thing that I stand by. It is terrifying performing in your hometown because you know you’re going to know people and you know people are going to know you. You know, I performed at the O2 earlier this year and I wasn’t nervous at all because I didn’t know anyone in the crowd apart from my family.

But the fact that Party in the Park is going to be in front of thousands of people that I am going to know and thousands of people are going to know me, that definitely, it definitely does play on your mind. I feel like there’s a certain level of expectation that you’ve got to hit to prove to people in your life that, you know, this is real and I can do this. So, yeah, I think so.

How did you meet the band you perform with? Are they also local to Luton?

So, most of my band actually approached me. I put out a post on social media sort of saying that the next step in my career was to have a band. I do think there’s a level of professionalism and that definitely is, that was the right next move. All of my band members bar one are from Luton. My drummer is from Dunstable and he is the only person that I actually went out and contacted myself because you would not believe how hard it is to find a drummer. It’s extremely difficult.

But yeah, I had the privilege of the rest of them contacting me and asking to be a part of it. And yeah, the rest is history. They’re all amazingly talented boys and they’re all young as well, which I’m a really big advocate for, you know, giving them the opportunity and then the exposure that they deserve.

And yeah, they’re brilliant. They really are. You’ll see all about that at Party in the Park.

It appears you’re constantly performing; do you ever get burnt out? What advice would you give to other aspiring artists or young people in Luton that may feel burnt out?

I definitely do get burnt out. I might not like to admit it sometimes, as I’m sure other people don’t, but I definitely do. You know, juggling, being a single mum, I’m only 20, I’ve still got friends and a social life, and then also really, really grinding and working hard on my career. It does get hard.

One thing I would say is take the help that you can get. I’m very fortunate that my parents are amazing and around all the time for me. My biggest thing is sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep. I don’t do it enough. You all probably don’t do it enough. I often stay up on a TikTok doom scroll, which is bad. But sleep is my biggest thing. And yeah, just resting and don’t burn the candle at both ends because trust me, it’s not worth it. And then building yourself back up again, it takes a while.

What is the one thing about Luton you miss when you’re away?

Probably my Luton fan base is the main thing really. As an artist I’m fortunate enough to have my parents and my siblings travel with me when I’m gigging, and I have them by my side pretty much all the time; I’m very much a family girl. But my fan base that sometimes aren’t as fortunate, you know ticket prices are extortionate, and travel is. It’s really hard nowadays and sometimes not everybody has the facilities to be able to travel to these gigs and pay for these gigs. So one thing I would say is my Luton fan base that are there, every single Luton gig I have, or every local gig that I have. It’s actually sad not seeing their faces in the crowd. So yeah, that’s my biggest thing.

Who is your number one style inspiration?

I have to say I have three. I’ve got my big three. My big three is Shania Twain, Megan Maroney, and a bit of a rogue one, but Lady Gaga. There’s a few times in press and interviews I’ve been called the Lady Gaga of country music, which is like the biggest flex ever because ever since I was like seven listening to Poker Face, she’s just an icon. I think she’s really funky, she’s out there and she doesn’t care and that’s sort of something I take pride in.

But yeah, and obviously my two country girls, Megan Moroney and Shia Twain, they’re amazing as well, so…

Olivia finished by giving us a clue about her outfit for Saturday, but we can’t give too much away. But we can say that Lutonians will LOVE it!