Life & Work with Olivia Rodriguez

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

Olivia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I was 10 years old, my dentist told my dad I would need double jaw surgery. I had a severe underbite that braces alone would not fix. Of course, I wouldn’t be ready for this procedure until I was done growing. Fast forward about 7 years, I was accepted to my top choice college, Berklee College of Music. All that time I had been singing. Music has been and always will be my favorite thing. I was a songwriter, vocalist, and actress, I could not imagine my life without those parts of me. I knew in a couple years I’d have to face this surgery that had the potential of altering my instrument and ultimately my livelihood. Eventually, I couldn’t ignore it. My situation was physically uncomfortable and wasn’t sustainable for my overall health. When the pandemic hit, I was halfway through my junior year of college. I knew I wouldn’t be returning to Boston for my senior year but this extremely unfortunate turn of events presented a silver lining. It was time to start the process for my jaw surgery. Thank God for masks, quarantine, and low-quality zoom calls because most people didn’t even know what I was going through. That was until I really needed help. The financial burden of this was great and I constantly questioned my decision. What if something goes wrong and I can’t sing anymore?” “My family must hate me for putting this strain on them! I am such a burden. With all of that, detours in our plans, and very little help from insurance, I decided to start a GoFundMe. When I say the support was overwhelming, I mean I was drowning in love. I got the surgeon I wanted and everything changed. As I write this, I’m about a month away from getting my braces off. Probably besides going to my dream school, I don’t think I have ever made a better decision. My overall wellbeing is significantly better AND my singing has improved. I didn’t have to give up my dreams to be on the stage or be an artist. Now it all feels even more within reach. I’m looking forward to releasing an album in the coming year, gigging and writing way more, recording a cast album for the musical I helped workshop written by a fellow Berklee peer, and remaining open to what life has next in store for me. 

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?
The road has definitely not been smooth. Along with the physical discomfort accompanied with my impending jaw surgery at the time, I suffered a great deal of insecurities. I was afraid to audition for things or be photographed because I didn’t want anyone to notice. Not only that but as a woman of color, I was always hyper-aware of being palatable. I felt like I had to fit into a perfect mold in order to be taken seriously or recognized at all. It would often stop me from putting myself out there at all. I would always say “when I look like this” or “when I’m better at that, that’s when things will be better for me, instead of just getting started. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m primarily a singer/songwriter, but I am also an actress primarily for theatre/musical theatre. 

My theatre background has given me the opportunity to develop three musicals (two in college and one just after graduation). In June of 2021, I was fortunate enough to be asked to audition for a Berklee colleague, Lexi Weakley, who had just written a new musical called ‘Elsewhere’ that she was trying to workshop and put up by the end of July 2021. I was lucky enough to be part of the production and in March of 2022, we will be recording the cast album. 

As a singer/songwriter, I fall into the folk-rock category and aim to become a solo artist. However, I think my training has allowed me to be versatile which is great as someone who just wants to write all the time. I have a jazz Christmas song out called Home for the Holidays that I wrote with my best friend, Ross Turman, who I also plan to release more music with in a similar genre. I also collaborate with a Mexican composer, Horacio Fernandez-Vasquez, who has given me the motivation to write in more Latin styles and connect with my own Mexican background. I’d say right now I’m most proud of a song to be released in Spring 2022 with The Canales Project, under the project name Hear Her Song. I was given the opportunity to write in honor of two incredible Honduran activists, The Dolls Clan, who are fighting for women’s rights in Honduras. This was the first time I ever seriously wrote a rap or in a hip-hop style. It was such a joy and privilege, especially to be able to do something dedicated to fellow Latinas. 

I think my versatility and openness to what my life has to offer sets me apart. I’m not afraid to pursue all my interests. If there is something I want, I will work very hard for it and not take it for granted. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see myself continuing to write in various styles and collaborating with my same partners, as well as making new connections and broadening my creative community. I also see myself touring as a solo artist and using my platform to do things like what I was able to do for The Canales Project. I want activism and social justice to continue to be a focal point in my work. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: livvylikelibby
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-406457921?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/55rbzZxlAwyLQyTwUUlRuG?si=kwJlE5mKQQqxCeHp_lr2tQ

Image Credits
James Raudabaugh
Karenina Juarez
Pascal A. Garoute
Ryan Nava