Introducing Olympia, born Eleni Olympia, the London-based singer-songwriter hailing from a small island in the Mediterranean. Invoking the iconographies of Donny Hathaway, Etta James, and Freddie Mercury, Olympia enters the scene with a modern twist on classic styles. Entirely self-made, her first single“Dear God” is a testament to everything she was, and where she’s going.
After a successful stint on The Voice of Greece, Olympia garnered the attention of record labels in the country. However, something told her that her heart lay in the UK. From 2022 to now, Olympia has been busy doing the groundwork for her upcoming EP, Have You Ever Been In Love? and “Dear God” is just the first peek into her world.
On the single, Olympia shares, “‘Dear God’ is a song about heart break and loss, it is a personal, vulnerable letter to God seeking for answers in times of pain.”
Olympia first came up with the piano riff, followed by the melody and the lyrics. Central to her process was patience, and she took her time to allow the pieces to come to her – in their own time. What stands out about the project is that Olympia conceptualised it all herself from the ground up, despite not being able to use any DAWs. She shares, “I produced the whole track in my head – bass, percussion, string melodies. Once I had a solid sound in my head, I found the musicians and explained everything by humming, tapping, or singing. That’s when it started to come to life.”
She continues, “For the strings, I worked with a violinist friend of mine. He traveled from Cyprus and stayed over for three days, and I hummed the melodies I had in my head while he copied them and I recorded everything on my phone. Then we layered harmonies to build what became a string quartet. I recorded the piano first, then the vocals, and then went to a studio to record the strings, bass, and drums. It was built brick by brick, working with a few people and different studios until I could get my vision right.”
Artist Bio: Olympia is a London-based singer-songwriter originally from a small island in the Mediterranean, where her passion for music began at an early age. Growing up, she was constantly singing and performing, inspired by voices such as Donny Hathaway, Etta James and Freddie Mercury. She began classical piano lessons at eight, developing a deep appreciation for both classical and contemporary music, while actively participating in choirs as a composer and soloist. Determined to pursue a career beyond the limitations of her hometown, Olympia moved to England alone after finishing school to study at Leeds Conservatoire, despite barely speaking the language.
During her first years, she spent most of her time isolated in her small room teaching herself English and starting conversations with strangers just to practise. At the same time, she was obsessively studying timeless songwriters to understand how English songwriting works. Inspired by Greek poetry and artists like Joni Mitchell and The Beatles, she began translating her inner world into words and sound. During her studies, she reached the finals of The Voice of Greece, flying back and forth between Leeds and Athens, and placed third in the competition. Despite receiving interest from major record labels in Greece, she chose to stay in England, follow her true music vision and keep pushing to do what she initially moved in here for.
After graduating in 2022, Olympia relocated to London, where she began building her career from the ground up, performing across the city, collaborating with other musicians, and developing her sound while crashing on friends’ couches and supporting herself through various jobs. Now, Olympia is finally set to release her debut EP, Have You Ever Been In Love?, with the first single ‘Dear God’ out May 1st, entirely written, produced, arranged and funded by herself.
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