Olympia
Birth nameOlivia Jayne Bartley
Born1982 (age 41–42)
Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
OriginMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
GenresRock, pop, alternative
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)
  • Voice
  • guitar
  • piano
  • percussion
Years active2013–present
LabelsEMI Music, Universal Music Australia

Olivia Jayne Bartley (born 1982, Wollongong),[1] who also performs as Olympia, is an Australian art-pop singer-songwriter-guitarist.[2] She released her debut studio album Self Talk in April 2016 which received an ARIA Award nomination at the ARIA Music Awards of 2016.

Career

2013–2017: Career beginnings and Self Talk

Main article: Self Talk (album)

In March 2013, Olympia released her self-titled, self-released debut extended play, which included her debut single "Atlantis".

In February 2015, Olympia released "Honey", the lead single from her forthcoming debut studio album. This was followed by "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" and "Tourists". In March 2016, Olympia announced the release of her debut studio album Self Talk in April, alongside the single "Smoke Signals". Self Talk peaked at No. 26 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[3] She was nominated for Breakthrough Artist at the ARIA Music Awards of 2016.,[4] and for the Australian Music Prize.[5] Self Talk was co-produced by Burke Reid, with music videos directed by Alexander Smith. It was also the feature album on Triple J.

Olympia's 2016 performance at the Northcote Social Club was listed as the best live show of the year by Michael Dwyer of The Age.[6] She was nominated for a gig at the National Live Music Awards in 2017.[7] Olympia has appeared at the Falls Festival, The Great Escape Festival (United Kingdom), Sound City (UK) and Golden Plains Festival.[8][9][10] Olivia Bartley has played lead guitar and vocals in Paul Dempsey's band.[11]

2018–2019: Flamingo

Main article: Flamingo (Olympia album)

In August 2018, Olympia released "Star City", the lead single from her forthcoming second studio album, due in 2019.[12][13] She promoted the single with an Australian tour.[13]

In February 2019, "Shoot to Forget" was released as the second single. In May 2019, Olympia announced her second studio album would be titled Flamingo and is due for release on 5 July 2019.

2024: "Try Be Good"

In 2024, Olympia formed the record label Reach Around Records and on 9 February 2024, released her first new single in 5 years, "Try Be Good".[14]

Discography

Albums

List of extended plays, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
[15]
Self Talk 26
Flamingo
  • Released: 5 July 2019[18]
  • Label: EMI, Universal Music Australia
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
 100

EPs

List of extended plays, with selected chart positions
Title EP details
Olympia
  • Released: 20 March 2013 [19]
  • Label: Olympia
  • Formats: CD, digital download

Singles

Year Title Album
2013 "Atlantis"[20] Olympia
2015 "Honey"[21] Self Talk
"This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things"[22]
"Tourists"[23]
2016 "Smoke Signals"[24]
"Somewhere to Disappear"[25]
2018 "Star City"[26] Flamingo
2019 "Shoot to Forget" [27]
"Hounds"[28]
2024 "Try Be Good"[14] TBA

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016 Self Talk Breakthrough Artist Nominated

Australian Music Prize

The Australian Music Prize is an annual award given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016 Self Talk Australian Music Prize Nominated

J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
J Awards of 2016[29] "Smoke Signals" Australian Video of the Year Nominated

Music Victoria Awards

The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
Music Victoria Awards of 2019 Olympia Best Solo Artist Nominated [30][31]

References

  1. ^ Horvat, Robert (2 July 2017). "'O' is for Olympia: The Rise of Olivia Bartley". Rearview Mirror. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. ^ Cahill, Mikey (29 April 2016). "2016 is an Olympic Year and Olympia's year, even if she ends up living on soup". Herald Sun.
  3. ^ Shedden, Iain (30 April 2016). "Olympia's Self Talk album melds artforms in a sense of harmony". The Australian.
  4. ^ Zuel, Bernard (5 October 2016). "ARIA Award nominations have a hairy surprise among the Flumes and Avalanches". Sydney Morning Herald.
  5. ^ "Vics dominate Australian Music Prize". The West Australian. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  6. ^ Dwyer, Michael (26 December 2016). "Music Year in Review: Melbourne's 10 best gigs of 2016". The Age. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  7. ^ "National Live Music Awards reveals 2017 Nominees and Venues – National Live Music Awards". www.nlmas.com.au. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  8. ^ Aunty Meredith’s Home Videos (18 March 2017), Olympia - live at Golden Plains 2017, retrieved 22 October 2017
  9. ^ Marshall, Konrad (14 March 2017). "Golden Plains 2017 review: Neil Finn's promise of love tops off a perfect weekend". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Golden Plains Remains One of the Coolest Music Festivals in Australia". Noisey. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Paul Dempsey, Fraser A Gorman". theMusic. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Yes -new material coming in six days!". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Olympia releases new single and video 'Star City' – announces national tour for October". Amnplify. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  14. ^ a b "New Music Discoveries 9th February: Olympia, girl in red, Telenova and more". The AU Review. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  15. ^ For Flamingo: "ARIA Chart Watch #533". auspOp. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Self Talk DD". iTunes Store. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  17. ^ Pereira, Holly, "Olympia: Self Talk", Beat Magazine
  18. ^ "Flamingo DD". iTunes Store. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  19. ^ "Olympia EP DD". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Atlantis- single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  21. ^ "Honey - single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  22. ^ "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things - single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  23. ^ "OLYMPIA – 'TOURISTS'". Music Feeds. October 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  24. ^ "Olympia Preps Debut Album, Drops The Simmering 'Smoke Signals'". The Interns. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  25. ^ "Olympia - Somewhere To Disappear - Internet Download". AIR IT. June 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  26. ^ "Star City - single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  27. ^ "Shoot to Forget - single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  28. ^ "PREMIERE: Olympia Drops Her Brand New Track 'Hounds'". The Music. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  29. ^ "The J Award 2016". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  30. ^ "Previous Nominess". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  31. ^ "Previous Winners". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.

External links

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