Olivia Penalva first heard her voice on the radio aged 14, and since then, she’s never looked back or stopped pursuing her artistic dreams. She’s won two iHeartRadio Future Star Awards, had two songs she’s covered – Calum Scott’s “You Are The Reason” and John Hiatt’s “Have A Little Faith In Me” featured on America’s Got Talent Got American Idol respectively and racked up a total of more than 42 million streams and views across multiple platforms. She’s just unveiled the video for her new single “Ex’s” and PopWrapped caught up with her to find out more about the track, her future tour and performance plans and what lessons 2021 has taught her.

Who exactly is Olivia Penalva in a few words? 

Olivia Penalva is a 21-year-old singer/songwriter from Canada. I’ve been pursuing music since I was eleven and it’s pretty much my favourite thing in the world. I am a storyteller and love to create things that make people feel connected to something. 

At what age did you realise you wanted to make music a career? Has this always been the goal for you or did you have other plans growing up? 

I remember really getting interested in music around ten or eleven. Before I got into it, I always pictured myself following in my mom’s footsteps as a lawyer or randomly at one point I wanted to be a veterinarian until I realized I didn’t have the stomach to do what they do. I quickly realized that the arts were much more up my alley and ultimately when I was eleven, I fell in love with singing and decided that was it for me. 

Which band or artist might you say you sound in any way similar to? Who are you artistically influenced and inspired by? 

I get told here and there that my voice reminds people a bit of Alessia Cara, which obviously is a huge compliment because I adore her. As far as musical influences, as a kid I was inspired by Norah Jones, Etta James and Ed Sheeran. They really inspired the music I would sing and write and are still some of my favourite artists. 

What are the three most listened to songs on your Spotify or iPod right now? 

My top three songs right now are “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish – of course, “Still” by Seinabo Sey and “Traitor” by Olivia Rodrigo. I am in love with these songs. 

How did and has the pandemic impact/impacted you as an artist? Has it messed up any tour/release plans? How have you passed the time in quarantine and while unable to fully immerse yourself in every aspect of your career etc? Have you enjoyed the downtime or been going stir crazy?

The pandemic threw a curve in everyone’s plans. I would have been travelling so much more for work this year if not for covid. Just like everyone else I was stuck inside for quite a while which I admit really affected me mentally. I made do by doing zoom sessions pretty much every day and trying to finish a record during a pandemic over zoom isn’t always the easiest but we did it. At first, I loved being home and getting to wear sweatpants every day, but I definitely went stir crazy. 

What is it about your new single “Ex’s” that made you think it was the right one to release?

From the moment we started writing “Ex’s” I loved it. It was different than a lot of the stuff I was working on, and it was so fun. A lot of what I write is about my life, but this song in particular is just a made-up story and a fun part for me to play. It’s a little cheeky and although I don’t condone or would EVER encourage people to steal their best friend’s boyfriend, everyone loves a cheeky song!

What do you hope those who hear “Ex’s” take from it? Is there a message or reminder you want to get across through the lyrics? 

For starters, I don’t want them to hear “Ex”s” and get the idea to go steal someone from a friend. This song is a satire; it’s to showcase what people can do to each other. It’s showing the idea that at times temptation can be stronger than logic and it’s a reality that a lot of people go through. 

Tell me a little about the video – where did the idea for it come from?

The video for “Ex’s” was very much inspired by the storyline in the song. I got to dance in the video which was a first for me but was such a fun experience and I feel like that really showed through when filming. Overall, it was the best shoot and I hope people love the video as much as I do. 

How hands on did you get with and on the shoot? Do you think maybe you might want to step behind the camera and direct a music video one day? 

The actual video shoot was so fun. We discussed it a lot before the shoot day came and I shared all my ideas early on for how I saw the video going. I feel that the team that I worked with for this video did such a great job on collaborating ideas with me. I didn’t direct this one, but I have so many ideas for future videos that I could see myself directing. 

After a difficult 18 months or so for the everyone, including artists such as yourself, the world is starting to return to some semblance of normality with live shows taking place and tours for the end of the year/2022 being announced fairly regularly. Do you have any tour or performance plans in the works? How much are you looking forward to getting back out there, seeing people and interacting with a crowd after being unable to do so for so long?

At this moment, I have no set plans but of course I cannot wait to get back out there and perform these new songs for my supporters. I’ve really missed performing live and I’ve spent the last year and a half writing some of the best songs I’ve ever written and all I want to do is play them for the world. I can’t wait. 

The end of the year is fast approaching – what lessons has 2021 taught you and how will you take and use those lessons going forward, both as an individual and an artist? What do the next few months have in store for you and your fans? 

This year was the biggest year of learning me. I assume it was for a lot of people. The biggest thing I learnt though, is that the people around you are so important. Your team is there to support you and have your back and you need to make sure they are people you trust. This is a hard career choice, especially for young artists and having a good team changes everything. You have to be your own advocate and have your own back as well. 

Right now, I’m just enjoying life and working towards my next single and overall future plans. My record is pretty much done and although it won’t come out for a while, I am really proud of it and can’t wait to share it with the world. 

Check out the video for “Ex’s” above and for more information on Olivia Penalva, visit her website, give her page a like on Facebook or follow her on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.