In today’s creative vacuum, it is sometimes difficult to come across an artist producing truly original content. However, Olive Klugman is this breath of fresh air in today’s ever-evolving music industry. Focusing on themes of identity, youth, and love, Klugman’s music meets at the intersection of folk and pop to create an enchanting listening experience. Their lyrics beautifully craft a portrait of self-reflection, allowing listeners to take a break from reality and find a sense of community through relatable sentiments. With 426,989 monthly Spotify listeners and 2.4M likes on TikTok, Olive’s music is quickly spreading. I am honored to sit down with Olive to discuss their artistic endeavors and where they are going.
Bailey Harris
I was curious, because we do write from the perspective of Gen Z here, are you considered Gen Z or a very, very young millennial?
Olive Klugman
I'm kind of like on the cusp, but I was born in 1997 so I feel like that's the year. That's like both of them. But it's funny, all my friends who are around my age all kind of relate differently with that dichotomy. I definitely feel more Gen Z than Millennial just being an artist who got their start on TikTok. I feel honestly being queer makes me relate with Gen Z more because there are more Gen Z kids who are able to be openly queer earlier. So I think that's another aspect of it.
BH
For those who aren't familiar with your music, how would you describe the music you typically create?
OK
I would describe the music I typically create as very unfiltered singer/songwriter. In the past I have struggled with figuring out what my genre is; am I more folk? Am I more pop? I don't know. I probably lean more folk than pop and that's a conscious decision that I've made. And it's kind of a conscious decision that singer/songwriters have to make when they're doing actual production. But yeah, genre-wise I would say folk singer/songwriter, but more specifically, just unfiltered feelings. I think that's been a really popular genre as of late.
@oliveklug I love doing acoustic covers of 2000's pop songs sue me - also do you think avril lavigne was actually replaced by a body double? Lmk #avrillavigne ♬ original sound - Olive Klug
BH
As someone who loves your music, I'm curious as to what your creative journey has been so far or what really got you into music?
OK
I have been involved in music since I was young. I started out doing musical theater when I was 7 years old and continued all throughout my childhood and high school. When I got to high school, I decided I wanted to learn guitar because I was writing songs in my head and didn't really have a way to get them out. I really started writing my own songs, but I was so shy. I never shared them with anybody.
Later on after college, I started working in the social work field but quickly felt really burnt out and not sure if it was for me. And then the pandemic hit which obviously derailed everything, and I started writing a lot more because I had a lot more free time. I discovered TikTok and started posting my songs on there and was just really shocked and grateful at the support I got on there. And then from there it's kind of been a slow process to transitioning into doing music full time. But it was success on TikTok that showed me that, okay, maybe I can really do this as a career.
BH
Would you say then that social media has really helped propel you forward?
OK
Yeah, definitely. It has helped propel me forward, especially in a time when we couldn't perform live, couldn't go to open mics, couldn't make real life connections. But it can also be super frustrating being an artist who's primarily promoting on social media because there's only a certain type of song that does really well on there. I think the songs that are less clever and catchy and more slow paced, at least for me, don't do as well. And it's disappointing because one of my favorite songs I've written might bot be click-baity enough to go viral or have as much success.
BH
I'm not on TikTok right now, so I'm not sure which of your songs are blowing up. But as someone who loves your song "Self Help", I would imagine that maybe the slower nature of that song doesn't pick up as well on TikTok.
OK
That one did well on TikTok, but I think because it has that catchy, grabby first line. But there are some songs that don't get to the point until like 30 seconds in. But people's attention spans are short so they don't stick around long enough to really hear it, I think.
BH
You write some slower songs- songs that maybe aren't as catchy- but really come from a personal place. How do you go about writing in a more personal way while also having a removed sense of self? How do you balance needing to look at songs as a listener while also pouring your heart into a song?
OK
You know, that's the trick about being a songwriter; start with a feeling that is genuine and the first couple of lines come really easily. Then I work from those three or four lines that I just kind of spit out and figure out how I can craft them into something that rhymes and something that fits a melody, and the instrumental parts that can work with it. I start with that explosion of feeling and then once I have it, I apply the craft to it afterwards.
BH
Do you have a favorite song that you have written or one that you prefer to perform?
OK
I wrote a song really recently that I really like called Taking Up Space, and it's one of those songs that it does take a while to get the point. So I'm really nervous to post it on TikTok. I don't know that I ever will. So many of the songs I've written this past year were about feeling imposter syndrome, feeling like I'm still a little kid, and being unsure and all of that. But I think that I really like this song because it is a reminder that I am where I'm supposed to be and I do deserve this and I am allowed to take up space. I'm just really excited to put a song like that into the world.
BH
Is there a piece of advice you would give to young creatives listening to your music, or advice you would give to your younger self?
OK
This is advice that has been passed down to me. But I would definitely tell people don't try to make music that is not your music. There's room for every type of music in the world and yours is valuable and it is enough. I've felt like I've had to either dumb my music down to be more digestible for pop audiences, or I have to make my music more metaphorical and more covert in my lyrics, and neither of those things have actually helped me write better music. What helps me write better music is figuring out what my identity is as an artist and not trying to be like other people.
BH
How do you hope that your original music impacts your listeners?
OK
I hope that I make people cry. I know that's a terrible thing to say, but I hope that.
I mean to say that I hope that I allow people to access their emotions. That's the number one thing that music has helped me do. And I hope I make people feel like they're not alone. And all that is kind of cliche stuff that every musician says, but I mean, it's true.
BH
Have you ever had a fan interaction where that was really evident? Where someone is like, "you've really helped me", or something that really made you feel like what you're doing is not only fulfilling for your own love of music, but also proof that you're making a difference for others?
OK
Definitely. At almost every show I do, I feel like I have somebody come up to me and say that my music has had a really big impact on them.
Sometimes I can get very obsessed with numbers focus on how many people came to the show, or how my streaming numbers are doing. But at the end of the day, even one person coming to my show and saying that my music made an impact on them is worth it. And that's why I like performing live so much more than doing things online, at least now that COVID has calmed down. Because online, you do pay so much attention to numbers and you're not making that real human connection.
BH
Do you have a specific goal in mind artistically, or are you taking it day by day? You have the album coming out, but what do you envision for the future?
OK
I envision continuing to do this and whatever I can do to make it keep happening in a way that feels good and healthy for me. I'd love to do a headline tour. I haven't released new music in 8 or 9 months, I've just been holding onto it for so long which is different from my other releases. This music is stuff I've written a year or two years ago that I've been performing, but I'm finally gonna put out to the world. So I just hope that people enjoy it.
BH
As a closing remark, what would you want to say to your listeners who are reading right now?
OK
I would just want to say thank you for listening! I still think it's so cool and crazy that people care about my music and care about what I have to say. So, I mean it; thank you.
BH
Oh, and when is your album coming out?
OK
That's still a secret. But I can tell you that have a song called "Out of Line" coming out on November 18th.
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* This interview has been edited for clarity