Canadian singer-songwriter and pop recording artist Olivia Penalva kicks off a new era of her music career with her debut 11-track album, Spiderwebs.
The talented recording artist has been releasing music since the age of 13, evolving into one of the hottest pop acts in the Canadian independent music scene. With over 25 million streams, Olivia has landed herself amongst the greats with a Top 20 spot on Canadian radio for her single, "Love Me," becoming CHR Mediabase's second most-added song.
More recently, Olivia Penalva is soaking in the excitement of releasing her newest project, a debut 11-track album titled Spiderwebs. Its lead single (and title track) was produced by Ryan Stewart (Carly Rae Jepsen, Simple Plan) and brings listeners into an emotional pop-dance track that discusses the sadly relatable theme of losing your identity in a relationship.
Diving deeper into the lead single, "Spiderwebs," we're met with melodic acoustic guitar alongside warm pop drums and Olivia Penalva's tender vocals. As she recalls letting someone change her in a relationship, she makes a stunning realization that anyone can learn something from: "I never thought loving you would mean losing me."
Serving as the lead single, the title track, and intro track to her debut album, "Spiderwebs," indeed sets the tone for a compelling journey into the highs and lows of self-discovery...with Olivia Penalva’s knack for creating sonically irresistible pop tunes. If the project sounds anything like this song, we're in for a treat.
Do yourself a favor and hit play on Olivia Penalva's debut album and title track, "Spiderwebs," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to Buzz, Olivia! We're so impressed by the palpable emotion and power you've brought to your recent single, "Spiderwebs." What experiences inspired you to write this song?
Thank you so much! In my early twenties, I experienced a relationship in my career where I had absolutely no control over myself or my life, and for a few years it had really messed with my head and how I handled my emotions. The song is really about giving up all the good parts of yourself to someone you thought cared about you and had your best interests at heart when really you were just feeding their ego.
Which untimely leads to a loss of identity. Writing the song was an outlet for me to express how I was feeling at a time when I felt very silenced about the things I was experiencing. At the time, it felt very isolating but releasing this song has reminded me of the power that music has and its ability to connect us through sharing our experiences/emotions.
How does the single "Spiderwebs" set the tone for the entire album to follow? Why did you choose to release this track first?
“Spiderwebs” was kind of the catalyst for me writing this entire album. When I wrote that song I felt like it was a step to reclaiming my power. It became clear to me after that I should write about all of the other messy feelings and emotions I, or other people in my life had experienced that led me to where I am now. A reminder that life is messy, people are messy, and although sometimes we can get lost along the way, We are in charge of creating our own paths and that nobody has the power to take that away from us.
At its core, what does the album Spiderwebs stand for and represent? And what does it mean to you?
This album means everything to me. I’ve pretty much always written from authentic experience but I felt like this album was the first time I was using my own music as therapy to be able to let it out and let it go. At its core, this album is really about how lost we can get and how hard it can be to move on from things that hurt us.
What was your experience working alongside producer Ryan Stewart for the single "Spiderwebs?” What was that collaboration like?
Working with Ryan is always amazing. I’ve known him for almost ten years now and I feel like that’s why we work so well together. Music is very personal so it can be intimidating to bring ideas to producers and other writers but Ryan has always encouraged me to try the things that are scary and because of that, I am so glad to have had him produce this album and have him as an ally through this journey pushing me to share my art with the world. And we just always have such a fun time writing and working together so I couldn’t have asked for a better partner on this project.
Are there any interesting facts or info you’d like listeners to know about the album Spiderwebs? What should they know before listening?
I love this question because these are the things I like to learn from other artists when I hear their work. I think one fun fact is that this album actually started as a follow-up EP to my last one ‘Assembly required’. I loved the project we were working on but it didn’t feel authentic anymore to who I was in that moment after all of the things I had experienced in this industry and in my personal life.
I remember waking up one day and calling my team and telling them we’ve got it all wrong and that ‘Spiderwebs’ this single I had held onto for so long was the story and the version of myself that I wanted to share with the world. From there, this album was born, and I truly do believe everything happens for a reason.