Long Read // Beren Olivia is authentically herself on ‘if we’re being honest’
Beren Olivia is authentically herself on ‘if we’re being honest’.
With a lyrical eye for the frustrations widely felt by Gen Z, Beren Olivia has quickly become a refreshing voice amongst a new wave of artists.
As one of the (many) names who emerged during the pandemic, Beren arrived onto the scene during a challenging period for the music industry. While the opportunity to connect with audiences was arguably more difficult than ever, it was the alt-pop singer’s candid navigation of coming-of-age that allowed her to build a fanbase of her own. Now, almost four years later, this emotional resonance continues to reach new depths on her latest EP, ‘if we’re being honest’.
The project arrives following a busy start to the year for Beren, having released a stream of singles, alongside touring across the UK with Oxford alt-rockers South Arcade. Connecting via Zoom, exactly one month before the EP is released into the world, Beren took a moment to expand on how it all came together.
“I started writing these songs at the end of 2022, so it was a while ago.” she explains, while looking especially cozy in her cream, oversized jumper. Created during a pivotal time for Beren personally, the record takes listeners on a turbulent journey through the past two years of her life. Weaving together themes of self-doubt and disconnectedness with empowerment and growth, it’s a salient display of her development as a songwriter.
“I’ve honed in on who I want to be as an artist and what I want to say. I think before I was really focusing on writing a really fucking cool song, and I would compromise in areas where I would think ‘I really like this lyric, but it doesn’t feel catchy enough, so let’s leave it’. Now, this is just wholly me.”
Whilst previous work has seen Beren detail breakups and hardship through the lens of her friends’ experiences, the current project examines the inner workings of her own mind. “I think one of the biggest differences with this EP is I’m fully talking about me, it’s all very internal: my thoughts, this is where I’m at. I’m not really talking about anyone else. All of the songs are about what I’m thinking in the moment and each one represents something that I’ve struggled to talk about.”
From grappling with the bleakness of the world around us on ‘Drown It In Grey’ to dizzying mental turmoil on ‘Wake Me Up’, each track is a cathartic outpour of diary-like confessions. Expressing the multi-dimensionality of her emotions through blending irresistible pop melodies with indie rock sensibilities, the project captures the eclecticism of Beren’s musical upbringing. “I grew up on artists like Kings Of Leon, thanks to my Dad, and my Mum raised me on Avril Lavigne and P!NK,”. Expanding on how these influences informed her music style, she continues, “Imagine if Kings Of Leon and Halsey had a baby (weird concept, I know), but that’s kinda where I’m sitting – alt-pop, indie rock vibes.”
It’s a shift away from her usual palette, though, that sits as the centrepiece of the EP. ‘Almost’ sees gut-wrenching lyricism detail the grappling fallout of self-sabotage, lamented by ruminating guitar lines and rhythmic swells. Naming it as her most challenging song to write, Beren opens up about its making. “‘Almost’ was the struggle of a lifetime... I’m not good at finding the words to communicate why I do what I do,” Although a step outside of her comfort zone, it’s one that paid off, “but that’s why I’m proud of it.”, she beams. Written alongside Hugo Silvani (Pale Waves) and Sody, there’s a soft intimacy to the track, and one that speaks to the trio’s creative synergy.
While some of the EP’s contributors came in the form of Beren’s long-term friends and frequent collaborators, others transpired more unexpectedly. It was an Instagram DM that led to McFly’s involvement in the project. “So Danny [Jones] reached out to me really randomly. He had heard ‘Stranger On Fire’ and was like ‘Let’s write a song’ and I was like ‘Okay fine, obviously!’”
Expanding on the writing sessions, Beren explains “They had their things that they focused on and I had mine. While I was focusing on lyrics, Danny and Dougie were going through a million different guitar sounds that I can’t hear the difference between, but they can.” The result – as you might expect – is a vibrant, guitar-driven anthem. Brimming with pop know-how, ‘She’ll Be Dancing’ gleams with defiant positivity and serves as an exciting taste of tracks still to come.
“There were so many songs that didn’t make it but there were some where I was like ‘This’ll be better for a different project’ so they’re just saved for later… There was one song called ‘English Weather’ that I wrote with the McFly boys and it just didn’t fit on this EP, it would’ve confused the whole project, but I love it so much.”
As much as Beren is already looking ahead to future projects (in fact, the next year and a half is already planned in her head), she took a moment to reflect on her journey so far. “The biggest thing that I’ve learned over the past two years is how to communicate and how to actually talk. I know it sounds really stupid and it’s my job to obviously do that, but there was this barrier. I was writing about someone else’s breakup, or I was writing about something that was separate to me, and so when I was performing on stage, I could like act and get into it, but it never hit me.”
Standing as the only previously unreleased song, ‘I Feel Like Talking’ holds the spotlight as the EP’s arrival looms. Debuted live on her recent tour with South Arcade, its message has already begun to resonate with fans. “By the London show, everyone was singing it, which was sick!”, Beren smiles. Channelling the newfound transparency honed throughout the project, the track reaffirms the evolution in her emotional honesty. “It’s about being able to express and communicate all of the songs before that.” she explains. Between an explosive, ‘80s pop-esque chorus and reflective verses, it ties together the frenzied highs and relentless lows of battling with mental health, marking a promising step in a new direction as Beren enters another chapter in her journey.
With her sophomore EP on the horizon, a series of festival slots fast approaching, and future plans already in the works, it’s gearing up to be an exciting few months for the rising artist. Led by a renewed sense of honesty and genre-bending sound, Beren Olivia is among the next generation of popstars, and her trajectory already seems to be set.
Feature by Emily Savage
