West London-born Olympia Vitalis is fast on the rise but still criminally underrated. Seven years singing in gospel choirs gave her the foundation, the lung capacity, the conviction, but itās the way she folds in jazzās harmonic restlessness and hip-hopās rhythmic cool that makes her so hard to pin down.
When discussing influences, she cites Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin in the same breath as Nas and Kendrick Lamar, and somehow, listening to her, that makes sense.
One for the liberated lovergirl, new single āDazeā brims with soul, itās got that deep, almost painful level of musicality that bridges the gap between gospel intensity and rhythmic, secular funk and blues. Yet despite all its richness and full-bodiedness, a speckle of strings and harmonies keeps it remaining beautifully airy. Spectacular.
Speaking on the single, Olympia says: āThis is a super upbeat, lighthearted song with a pretty sad story. The song starts with me expressing how stuck I feel and my lack of agency in a situation, and by the end Iām realising that āI canāt keep beingā with them. The theme of agency vs luck being discussed here - taking things into my own hands and removing myself from a bad situationā.
š§ Listen to āDazeā below