“To be able to share a part of who I am through this album is something I’ll always be grateful for,” says Australian-Korean singer-songwriter Olivia Marsh, leading off this conversation on what’s gone into making Meanwhile, her debut album. At the heart of it are memories of a time in her life and, better still, the emotional experiences that inspired her to put them to music.
At 10, Marsh’s world expanded, moving from Australia to South Korea, exposing her to her Korean family and culture. This formative experience in my mind perhaps influenced the direction of her artistic journey. Hailing from the coastal city of Newcastle, New South Wales, she had a varied musical upbringing, including writing and singing songs with her sister, Danielle of NJZ (NewJeans). Following an early training in music and developing a taste for performance and visual arts, she subsequently discovered a knack for composing and enrolled in the University of Melbourne’s Interactive Composition program.
Increasingly focused on writing and making songs at the moment, the artist seeks to express her passion for music—which manifests itself in Meanwhile—while simultaneously enabling her to find her voice. So how does it feel to share that with everyone? “I don’t know where to start. This album truly means the world to me. I feel so grateful to be able to share my voice and stories, and I hope that anyone listening to this album can find hope or joy through it.” Although it was unintentionally done, she feels that the album has been almost three years in the making before release, and “to have these songs out in the world after listening to them secretly on my files for so long feels strange…but in a good way!” she adds.
Meanwhile is like a montage of this period of her writing songs addressing the emotions, relationships, and events experienced at the time. Speaking of which, Marsh points out that she’s elated for having a chance to share a part of herself that she kept hidden for so long through this record. “All of the songs were created when I felt like I was taking my first step out in the real world, rediscovering what it is that I love.”
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What’s the story behind the title Meanwhile?
The songs included in the album were all created during my three or so years of songwriting after graduation from university. I don’t know if many people will relate but after university, I had this moment where I was like…what do I do now? I felt a little lost, especially after being away from my family for so long. I decided to move to Korea straight away. Not only did I miss living there so much, but my mum and sister were already over there. Around a month later, I found myself working at a company. Some of my coworkers were also producers in the K-pop scene and through writing with them I slowly started writing more and more myself. “Meanwhile” touches on the emotions, relationships, and events throughout these three years of writing music.”
As a songwriter, what themes or messages did you want to convey through the songs?
I feel like the story behind the songs on this EP are all so different. But still, I find myself mostly gravitating towards themes of nostalgia, relationships and hope. One particular song on the EP, called “Waterworks,” I remember writing while I was going through a tough time in a relationship. I remember coming home that night and crying my eyes out. The next day I got into the studio and wrote the song. I feel music is a way that I let out my emotions and I feel as if this EP has helped me in that way. I hope that anyone listening to Meanwhile can find comfort through the songs.
Being the first artist signed to MPLIFY, Warner Music Korea’s label focused on creative freedom, how has that impacted your artistic process and the music you’ve created for this album?
Being able to work in such a collaborative way has really helped me to learn and grow, not only as an artist, but as someone who is still fairly new to the music industry. We always call our team the MPLIFY Family and it really does feel just like that!! We all work close together and are always caring for each other. Being able to put my own colour into my work has helped me learn more about myself and what I would like to do in the future. I feel like at the moment I’m just a seedling and I have no idea what sort of plant I’ll become. I’m so excited to find out what is to come with MPLIFY.
Any collaboration or partnership that’s been particularly influential while working on this project?
Songwriting and collaborating with my amazing producers and songwriters on this EP has inspired me! Every time I go into a session, I find that my biggest inspiration for ideas comes from the tracks the producers create. Every session is so different that you never know what you’ll get. I also had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with composer and pianist Yiruma for a piano rendition of “42.” This collaboration was particularly moving for me. Yiruma’s music has been a part of my life since elementary school. Even to this day, when I need healing, I listen to Yiruma’s music and it calms me right down.
What do you hope listeners will take away from Meanwhile?
I hope that Meanwhile can create a small escape for my listeners. Personally, when I feel stressed or need to let go, I find that listening to music really helps. I feel like it’s such a wonderful gift to be able to comfort someone through your art. I hope that listening to this EP can bring even one person some peace or hope.
In an industry that’s constantly evolving, how do you stay true to your artistic vision while also adapting to changing trends in music?
I find it’s hard not to be influenced by trends. With everything so easily accessible nowadays, and media being so present in everyone’s lives, I feel like we’re all constantly fed trends even if we’re unaware of it. But even with everything going on, I try to make sure that what I create is true to who I am. It’s not always easy to figure that out, but I hope that authenticity rings throughout my music and that my audience can feel who I am.
As an Australian-Korean artist, how do you see your role in bridging cultures through your music? What are your thoughts on the growing global influence of K-pop and Korean music?
I was born in Australia but moved to Korea when I was in elementary school for three years before moving back. I am very grateful for being able to experience both cultures at a young age because now I have such a strong connection to both. I think it’s so wonderful how K-Pop is becoming more and more global each day. I remember back in university, my peers would listen to K-Pop and sometimes would even introduce me to new groups that I hadn’t heard of yet. I don’t know how much of an influence I would have by bridging these two cultures together, but all I can say is that they both live within me and will always be part of my identity.
How do you see yourself growing as an artist in the coming years?
Last year, 2024, was a year of overcoming many challenges and trying things I never would have imagined. For instance, filming a music video, recording my songs, and debuting as a singer. I was very nervous at first. Being camera-shy my whole life and quite introverted, I wasn’t sure how I would feel being exposed in this way. But I surprised myself by how much I love performing, meeting people, recording my vocals for demos I had written, and I feel like I’m getting more and more used to the camera stuff each day. I hope that in the future I can step out of my comfort zone more and more.