Meet Ms. JoLivi – the Hawaiian-born, LA living pop singer/songwriter who has been making waves all summer with her personal, emotional brand of pop music. Feel free to take a look at her latest video “Chains” HERE!
Drawing on personal ups and downs, JoLivi offers an intimate take on pop. Self-described as “curious, loving, confident and definitely resilient” JoLivi pens tracks about bouncing back after hardships in life and love. The Hawaii-born singer-songwriter pulls inspiration from each new adventure in her life, explaining, “It is important for me to evolve and explore new things as an artist and always find the silver lining in things I go through in my life and how I make music.”
Check out our exclusive interview with this super talented babe below.
What initially inspired you to become an artist?
My grandfather inspired me to be passionate and to express. He was also a singer and I wanted to be just like him. 🙂 I was later inspired by the people that listen to my music. The audience and the fans that tell me how a song I wrote made them feel or got them through a hard day.
How does music affect you and the world around you?
Music is my whole world! I live for music…I breathe it. I’ll admit I’m a very emotional human being, as most artists I believe are, and music makes me see differently. I pretty much don’t do anything without music… Right when I wake up and brush my teeth my JBL is playing my Spotify playlists 🙂 Shower – music car-music… Love music when I cook too!!
Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
From experiences always! Sometimes my song lyrics are very specific about a certain event that took place and sometimes they are about a whole relationship. I’ll come up with a storyline and then a quick melody and then I’ll go into the studio and my producer will sit with me grab his/her guitar and we will jam through ideas 🙂
True or false: It is the duty of an artist to put her personal emotions into the music she plays.
I would say 100 percent true…but it doesn’t necessarily have to be her trials and tribulations. She can write about what she sees her family go through or her friends…the world! For me as an artist, writing my own lyrics is very important when it comes to performing the song. I’ve gotta feel it 100 percent of the time.
Name one person dead or alive who you’d love to cut a record with and why?
I’m going to name two since it’s dead or alive! Alive would be my all time favorite James Taylor. He inspired me as a child not just in the way of my love for music but in the way his music made me feel. His lyrics ran through my body like electricity. His songs were like music books, he would take you on journeys all over the place. And he’s the fucking best guitar player I’ve ever seen! For the one who is no longer with us, that would be my grandfather. He passed right before I heard my song on the radio for the first time, before I sang for thousands of people, and before I got truly recognized as a professional artist. As a child, hearing him sing was by far the best gift I could receive. He was angelic, gentle, and kind. A Hawaiian man with a heart so full. I would just love to go in the studio with him and jam, write a song about anything really 🙂
What constitutes a good live performance in your opinion? What’s your approach to performing on stage?
A great live performance is one where the artist has no fear! Fans appreciate realness. If you cry embrace it…if you fall laugh it off or tell a joke. Be present! I want to inspire and tell my story… I want people to feel what I feel when I listen to music. I want to help people through their hard times and make them dance. So when I get up there, I’m in the moment and I read the audience and my endgame is for them to leave with something more than when they came.
What embarrassing songs might I find on your MP3 player?
MP3 player! Is this a trick question? LOL! If you’re asking me about the MP3 player I had in middle school/high school that held like 13 songs then you’d probably find…Craig David – “Fill Me In,” Ashley Ballard – “Hottie.” Although I don’t find those embarrassing lol…I don’t think there is such a thing!
What are your future plans? A tour hopefully?
YES!!!! 100 percent! I can’t wait to go on tour! It’s the ultimate goal for me personally.
What’s your interpretation of a Raw Femme?
It is inventive and encouraging. It’s giving a platform for women to express art in all its forms. It is an honor to be featured!