“Anything but typical” - Iain Anderson, BBC Radio Scotland

is a songwriter hailing from North-East Scotland. Taking inspiration from unexpected places, her songwriting gets to the heart of what it means to be human, drawing comparisons to artists such as Aimee Mann and Regina Spektor.

Her debut album, Typical Forever, received support from BBC Radio Scotland, Times Radio and RTÉ Radio 1. The record was funded by the Geologists’ Association, and covers subjects such as volcanoes, nostalgia and cretaceous fossils. The project has placed Olivia in front of audiences as support for acclaimed Scottish songwriter Karine Polwart, and in more unusual spaces, such as Oxford’s Natural History Museum and the Geological Society in London. 

Her last name may be familiar to some, as Olivia shares her family tree with ‘Baker Street’ songwriter Gerry Rafferty. Growing up on a diet of power-pop and Americana, she started songwriting under the influence of artists such as Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen, and her sound came into focus through the indie-folk catalog of her 2000’s iTunes library. Her songs hum with warmth, yet playfully sparkle with unlikely subject matter and the occasional Casio keyboard cameo.