Olivia

Olivia's Background

When you find yourself with a hit single that everybody associates just with you, and fans want to hear every time you perform, that tends to be a pretty good sign. For Olivia Douglas, that  signature song is 'Leaving Tipperary', and it's just one of many reasons the girl from Ferbane in the Faithful County of Offaly has to smile about over the last number of years.

Since first coming to national attention as a contestant on TG4's Glór Tire in 2016, Olivia has quietly but quickly established herself as one of the brightest young talents on the Irish country scene, to the point where she is now one of the most sought after performers. The year 2019 seen Olivia tour nationally and internationally with both Nathan Carter and Derek Ryan, as well as adding to her collection of awards, having been recognised as one of Irish country music's leading entertainers at the Sunday World Music & Entertainment Awards, the Hot Country Awards, and the Keltic Country TV Irish Entertainment Awards.

It's not just Olivia's captivating voice which has earned her so much attention from country fans and country radio in all four corners of Ireland, and beyond these shores, too. When it comes to bringing a room alive to the magical sound of the accordion, Olivia is without a doubt, talented and gifted in her ability to belt out tunes from all different genres of music. 

Olivia's nuanced vocal skills, and her unique tone, aims straight for the listener's heart, and with a gentle precision granted only to a few, those skills find their target every time. This ability, coupled with her always easy-going and friendly personality, makes this midlands lady a firm fan-favourite on concert stages, in dancehalls, and wherever else her musical journey takes her.

Olivia's musical  journey began at the tender age of five, when she discovered the tin whistle. Subsequently, she progressed to the button accordion, demonstrating her ability on this instrument at numerous Fleadh Cheoils around Ireland. In fact, in 2005 Olivia placed second at the All-Ireland Fleadh in the under-18 age group.

Olivia’s family run business, the well-known midlands public house, Tom’s Tavern, in her home-town of Ferbane, was where the appeal of country music first became an important part of Olivia’s life. With different bands playing in the bar every weekend, it quickly became the norm for Olivia to make ‘guest’ appearances for a few songs, from Philomena Begley’s version of the Billie Jo Spears classic, ‘Blanket On The Ground’ (also the very first song Olivia ever learned), to tunes from Olivia’s other musical inspirations such as Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Lee Ann Womack and Alison Krauss.

Olivia released her debut album, 'Another Heartache', in 2015, featuring a beautiful rendition of Lee Ann Womack's song, 'The Healing Kind', which also became Olivia's official debut single. Her version of the country classic 'Good Hearted Woman' followed as single number two, with the collection's title track becoming the third and final single to be released from Olivia's first album. The videos for all three singles have proved to be immensely popular on all of the country TV shows.

As a contestant on Glór Tire, Olivia was mentored by an iconic figure in Irish country, Johnny Cash's 'Woodcarver' duet partner, Sandy Kelly. During her time on the show, Olivia welcomed the opportunity to open concerts for various artists and established stars in the scene. As well as these moments offering hints of oncoming success, they also displayed how Olivia's talent easily transcends to other genres by conquering hearts and winning admirers among both traditional and folk audiences. 

Olivia's second album, 'Forever Country', was released in April 2018, and brought her not just her first, but also her second number one single, with firstly 'Don't Think Twice' (originally by Bob Dylan) and then 'Leaving Tipperary' both topping  the country itunes charts. In March of 2018, she was invited to represent the best of Irish country on the Sunday World stage at the C2C Festival in Dublin's 3Arena, performing on the same night as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Brett Young, Kelsea Ballerini, and Old Dominion (Olivia returned to the Sunday World stage at C2C in the 3Arena for a second time in 2019). In May of 2018, Olivia joined Daniel O' Donnell for a recording of his tv show Opry Le Daniel in Derry's fabulous Millennium Forum. 
 

More recent and successful singles" A Hug or Two" and "First Impressions" proved to be familiar favourites with the public and across the national radio stations. Olivia is currently working on an exciting new album, incorporating tracks including the accordion, not forgetting the popular and endearing single " A Hug or Two".

Olivia is looking forward to meeting and greeting all of the people who have supported  her on her journey to  date and also making new friends along the way!