Life & Work with Olivia Junholm of North Hollywood, Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Junholm.

Hi Olivia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Olivia Junholm is a Swedish soul pop singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, known for her soulful vocals and dreamy pop sound with subtle jazz influences. Her music has reached international audiences, receiving early recognition from major publications such as Rolling Stone France, alongside airplay on European radio, and she continues to build a strong live presence in both Europe and the US.

Music has been a constant in her life – she grew up in Gothenburg, Sweden, with a father who worked as a musician and producer, and spent much of her childhood in church, where she began performing at an early age.

“Music has always been part of my everyday life – onstage, backstage, and at home. Performing came naturally early on, and that foundation continues to shape what I do today,” she says.

She graduated from Rytmus School of Music in Gothenburg in 2014, majoring in vocal performance. She later traveled to Houston, where she recorded her debut single “Try” with Sweekman Productions, alongside music producer Jonas Ekman and 2x Grammy-nominated contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Sarah Kelly. The single was released in 2016.

Upon returning to Sweden, she began building her career as an independent artist, performing at festivals and local clubs, doing radio interviews, and appearing at Sofar Sounds shows in Sweden and Norway. This led to her first record deal with Light&Salt Records and the release of her debut EP No Rush in 2020, a five-track project inspired by her personal experiences and the importance of slowing down in a fast-paced world.

The EP received positive attention from international press, including Rolling Stone France, which described it as “a condensed version of sunny soul, just the right amount of pop, full of good feelings and smiles,” and Scandinavian Soul, where Andy Collins noted that “Olivia’s words are instantly relatable and she excels throughout with immersive phrasing. The value of time and reflection from the EP’s thread ties all the songs neatly together for a highly engaging listening experience.”

Taking the next step in her career, Olivia moved to Los Angeles, where she has continued to develop her sound and release new music. In LA, she has also had the opportunity to perform her original material at respected live music venues and songwriter rooms such as The Baked Potato Jazz Club, The Peppermint Club, and Hotel Café, etc., further establishing her presence in the city’s live music scene. Her work has also continued to gain international attention, including praise from Rolling Stone Mexico, while her latest single “You” was highlighted by SPIN Magazine as “dreamy siren pop that sounds like Julie London if she recorded in the era of SoundCloud.”

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
“It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. I would say choosing to move across the world to pursue your art, my music, is probably not the easiest path to take – but it was my path. Uprooting my life and starting over in a new country came with a lot of unknowns, from building a new network to finding my place creatively in a completely different music scene.

That said, it’s also been a big adjustment being far away from my family and the life I grew up with in Sweden. I miss them a lot, and going home to visit when I can is really vital for me. At the same time, I feel incredibly grateful to be here, to work with such talented people, and to continue growing musically in ways I only used to dream about. Getting to perform at venues I once looked up to from afar and seeing my music reach new audiences has made the journey feel meaningful. It hasn’t been effortless, but it’s been real, and I’ve learned a lot about resilience, faith, and trusting the timing of things. FaceTime helps, but more than anything, my faith in God really carries me through the harder days and keeps me grounded in why I’m doing this in the first place.”, the artist says.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Olivia Junholm is a Swedish soul-pop singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, as mentioned previously, known for her blend of soulful vocals, dreamy pop melodies, and subtle jazz influences. Her voice carries both warmth and presence, earning recognition from publications such as Rolling Stone France and RockNBold as as a force to be reckoned with. She has also performed at respected Los Angeles venues including The Baked Potato Jazz Club, The Peppermint Club, and Hotel Café, and her music has received airplay on European radio stations.

“My latest release, ‘You,’ is a dreamy, soulful track produced by Jorge Blanco Leal. It’s been praised for its warm, nostalgic sound and emotional depth, which I feel really grateful for. I was quite nervous releasing it, because it honestly felt like I was putting pages of my diary out into the world. ‘You’ is a love letter to all the lovebirds out there, and to anyone still searching for their person. All I hope is that it takes you back to the feeling of your first love,” she says.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
“I’m excited to see what’s coming next. I’ve got new music in the works, and living in LA keeps me inspired – even if that sounds like a cliché, it’s true. Life is beautiful, even if far from perfect, in the middle of this crazy world. My hope is that my music can bring a small sense of hope and joy to whoever listens,” she says.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oliviajunholm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviajunholm/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@oliviajunholm
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4i4ZRPD25sKZAj3FlHQSPq?si=QifWBOeTSmu2RUvGR01bxg

Image Credits
Picture 1, 6 & 8 by Dara Feller
Picture 2, 4 & 5 by Elaine Tantra
Picture 3 & 7 by Ashley Crichton