Kelsey Olivia

Print Interview - No Cover Magazine Cleveland

Video Interview -

Video interview -

Podcast Interview -

Heroek talks to singer/songwriter Kelsey Olivia about her up and coming music career, getting a song banned from Spotify, her first live performance, balancing college and her music career, collaborating with others, and more. - Heroek

Kelsey Olivia has brought us two edgy, singles “I H8 Strangers” and “Habits” inspired by the hurt of heartbreak. The songs are meant to show fans that it’s okay to relate to hardship and to “find a sense of security through [her] music.” With her third single “Lose Myself” on its way, and another single currently in production, Kelsey is very excited to be expanding her discography. As a 19-year-old independent artist born and raised in Cleveland, OH, music has been a big part of her life since she was young. As Kelsey says, she was always “kind of a writer,” joking about how she “wrote when [she] was little even though it was kind of nonsense.” By constantly trying out for talent shows, and being labeled as “that young girl who sings all the time” her family and friends were not surprised when she decided to release music, however she did keep it a secret from them until the day she released her first single “I H8 Strangers.” The day of her first release, while she was away at school, studying Music Production at the University of Tampa, was one of Kelsey’s favourite days in her music career so far, and it has really allowed her to kickstart the reality she is living now.

It came as no surprise when Kelsey Olivia named some of the most talented alternative pop-punk artists as her current musical inspirations: including artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Machine Gun Kelly, jxdn, Tate McRae, and upcomer Amelia Moore. The impact these talented musicians have had on Kelsey is evident in numerous elements of her music. With her raw and emotional lyrics, pop-punk instrumentals, and edgy aesthetic, she molds her influences perfectly into her own individual style and image. Kelsey writes from personal experiences, taking the songs she feels most resonate with her and running with them: “I think a lot of people find love with their favourite artists because they relate to them or have been through similar things. They can consistently go back to their music and find a sense of security with it. This is something I want to put out there as well.”

For Kelsey, the ability for her fans to relate and feel heard while listening to her music is her top priority. She wants to translate these real-life experiences well so her listeners can “cry or laugh about it, and just know there are other people going through the same thing and they aren’t alone.” As it seems the listeners’ experience is so important to Kelsey Olivia, her biggest focus right now is to gain more listeners and fans. “Not for numbers sake but for appreciation. I love to see smaller artists get bigger because it means their music is touching people and that’s all I really want for myself right now.” Kelsey touched on how one of the most intimidating obstacles in the music industry is to promote oneself. “It’s a really fine line between promoting myself and clout chasing.” Working her way up at the beginning of her career is a crucial element to reaching her goals, and although she is still navigating this difficult task, she has learned how careful a small artist must be in the early stages of their career, with money, who you surround yourself with, and much more.

Kelsey dives deeper into her song writing while explaining how different “Lose Myself” is from her other two singles. While writing “Lose Myself” in her college dorm, she focused less on the other person, as she has in her other songs, and “if you couldn’t tell,” she jokingly said, “more about myself.” When writing this song, life felt very flustered. School, people, and situations were not easy. Kelsey translates the desire to not lose a big part of yourself in the midst of all the chaos which is something she found to be very difficult during this time.

Kelsey has plans that will excite current and new fans as she hopes to do small shows when she can while managing her time with school. She is also currently focusing on producing even more music right now, with the goal of releasing a new song every month, “maybe even two if I’m lucky!” Expect more music from this eager and oh-so talented singer-songwriter very soon! - See You Next Tuesday Media

Q: From the sound of the lyrics, “Lose Myself” seems to be about not wanting to lose the special parts of yourself when falling in love; did any real-life events inspire this track?

KELSEY OLIVIA: There was no specific event that inspired the track, it was actually just a buildup of thoughts and ideas while I was away at college and I was really overwhelmed with things that were going on in my life and I just decided to translate it into music.


Q: I’ve never been to Cleveland, but know a lot of musicians actually come from there. How’s the music scene out there?

KELSEY: The music scene out here is really cool. We have a lot of big names that come out of Cleveland like Machine Gun Kelly, and Kid Cudi! There are always a bunch of concerts and shows going on here so it’s super cool to be surrounded by a strong music scene.

Q: I love the pop/indie feel of “Lose Myself”! In your own words, how would you describe the music you typically create?

KELSEY: The music I create is typically more pop or pop punk, and typically gears more towards an edgy or upbeat style. “Lose Myself” was a different style of track but it still felt very me considering I listen to a lot of music like that in my own time. That song specifically took inspiration from artists like Tate McRae or Khalid.

Q: I read a little about your writing process, and how you envision the mood of the story while creating a track, which is an awesome and unique way to describe it! Can you walk me through the writing process in making, “Lose Myself”?

KELSEY: “Lose Myself” was a song I wrote in my college dorm room when I was really overwhelmed and honestly lost with how things were going. College itself has been a really unique and difficult experience for me, naturally I had a lot of thoughts and ideas overwhelming me at all times. I am actually a music major, and when I was writing this song I had access to some practice rooms in our music building and I would go to the practice rooms and stay there until 3 am almost every weekend writing and reworking the song, to get to a place that I felt was perfect for what was going on at the time.

Q: If you could collaborate with any musician, who would it be?

KELSEY: I have a few, yeah. I think they would be Khalid, JXDN, Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo, and Machine Gun Kelly. These artists are all so different but I truly draw inspiration from all of them, and to be able to work with any of them would be an absolute dream. I admire their work ethic and to be in an environment that is so pure, comfortable, and fun when working on a song is all I could ever want.

Q: Do you remember when you first fell in love with music? Was your family musical growing up?

KELSEY: I have been in love with music ever since I was a little kid, I was always singing or writing even when I was little! I’m actually the only musical one in my family, nobody else in my family sings or plays an instrument, so it’s pretty interesting to be the only musical one.

Q: What’s next for you? Any tours or new projects coming up?

KELSEY: Just more singles! Possibly an EP! I’ve been working really hard on new songs and hopefully will release another next month, so keep an eye out! - Rising Artists Blogs

19-year-old upcoming artist from Cleveland, Kelsey Olivia shares with us her new single titled ‘Lose Myself’. With a combination of raw sounds and delicate guitar riffs, featuring heart-felt lyrics, and warm undertones… it’s no question that Kelsey Olivia remains undefeated (check out the artist’s Spotify page). Whether you’re a fan of pop, electronic music, or not, we’re confident you’ll fall in love after the first listen. It’s safe to say that the multi-talented artist is setting herself up for a promising future.

We love the lyrics and the style the artist delivers throughout the song, too. It’s safe to say we’ll be keeping a close eye on any upcoming material, but in the meantime, check it out for yourself and don’t forget to connect with Kelsey online and enjoy! - Lost In The Nordics

Growing up, Mayfield High School graduate Kelsey Roth always saw herself becoming a performer.

“I started to write music as early as 10,” Roth, who lives in Mayfield, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “I have a bunch of old classroom notebooks of random song lyrics. On my 15th birthday, I asked for a microphone. It was a simple podcast microphone from Amazon, but it was singlehandedly the best gift I’d ever asked for. I took my lyrics and I would pair them with beats off of YouTube. I did all the mixing on GarageBand. I realized it was something real – that I could do something genuine.”

Now at 18, her first single – “I H8 Strangers” was released March 5 and is available to stream on Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music and Pandora. It was released under the stage name Kelsey Olivia. She is a music production major and communications minor at the University of Tampa in Florida, with plans to graduate in 2025.


“I wrote “I H8 Strangers” when I was at home,” she said. “I start with the beat first and then write the lyrics. It was very pop-punk and I love that sound. Words just flew out of me. I started to write it and it became very easy. I finished ‘I H8 Strangers’ as a complete song in about 12 minutes. I found it was something I loved. It was the first song that felt right as an artist and someone who creates music.”

Working with Grand Bay Studios in Tampa, producers, Knowledge and K-Luv, and engineer Joe Remo, Roth said she immediately felt at home at the studio from the moment she walked into the door.

“My face lit up, I didn’t want to leave,” she said. “To see us collaborate together and hear something that will be mine and play with it was the coolest thing I’d ever done. When we finally secured the beat, it dawned on me. It’s a real thing, it’s tangible. I felt so at home. I never felt so comfortable in my life. A lot of things just fell into place for me. It’s so amazing to take something that was in my head to something other people could enjoy.”



Self-described as Olivia Rodrigo meets Avril Lavigne, Roth said while the song is very sentimental, she hopes listeners find whatever personal message they need to hear in her song.

“I want people to just have fun when they hear this,” she said. “The song, in such an odd sense, is so relatable to a lot of people. My roommates at my dorm were the first to hear it, and they told me exactly that. I just want people to let go. It can be sad if you want it to be, but it also could be a way of letting go.”

On the heels of the release of “I H8 Strangers,” Roth said she’s in the process of recording her second single - also a pop-punk release, but “very fun.”

“And from here, I guess I’ll see you at the Grammy’s,” she said, laughing. “I can only hope for so much. A lot of people have the talent and drive to do this, but I really have that drive. It can go a million different ways. It is one in a million but I truly do believe I have a shot of being that one.” - The Cleveland Jewish News