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Olivia Profile |
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Birth Date: February 15, 1980
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Birth Place: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
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Birth Name: Olivia Longott
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Biography |
Olivia Longott was born on February 15, 1981, in Brooklyn,
New York. Raised by a Cuban father and a Jamaican mother,
Olivia spent her childhood singing whenever and wherever the
opportunity presented itself, like in her local church
choir. Singing has been in Olivia's blood since birth,
something that's exemplified by her claim that she was named
after pop star/actress Olivia Newton John. From a young age,
Olivia impressed her family and friends by belting out
Michael Jackson tunes with a preternatural sense of pitch
and harmony.
When not working on her voice, Olivia spent a lot of her
free time writing poetry -- a practice that has undoubtedly
led to her penchant for penning memorable lyrics. As luck
would have it, Olivia had a cousin who worked in a recording
studio and it was there that the tenacious teenager began
learning the ins and outs of the music business.
Olivia's cousin proved to be an instrumental force in her
development, going so far as to arrange lessons in guitar
and piano (in addition to vocal coaching).
After she graduated from high school, Olivia began studying
business at Hofstra University mostly for the benefit of her
old-fashioned mother. But Olivia knew that music was in her
future, and as such, she spent her evenings at Five Towns
College studying music engineering and opera.
After a year of shuttling back and forth between the two
schools, Olivia decided to drop out in order to dedicate
herself 100% to her burgeoning music career. It didn't take
long for Olivia to land a meeting with the legendary Clive
Davis, who was interested in signing the young singer to his
J Records label.
In 2001, Olivia released her self-titled debut on J Records
-- an album that spawned the singles "Bizounce" and "Are U
Capable." But the disc didn't make much of an impact on the
over-saturated market, so in 2002, Olivia -- fearing that
she wasn't getting the attention she deserved -- decided to
leave the label.
This didn't stop the up-and-coming artist from continuing to
record songs and tour, and after fielding offers from
various labels, Olivia finally decided to sign with
Interscope (a record label that artists like Eminem, Dr. Dre
and 50 Cent call home).
Just a few short months after her Interscope deal was
finalized, Olivia found herself on the receiving end of a
phone call from none other than 50 Cent himself. 50 informed
Olivia that he was a huge fan of her work, and offered her a
spot on his infamous G-Unit crew as the first female member
(an offer that Olivia couldn't refuse).
Shortly after, Olivia began popping up on various G-Unit
releases, including Lloyd Banks' Smile and 50's The
Massacre. Her G-Unit cronies returned the favor when it was
time for Olivia to record her second solo effort -- Behind
Closed Doors -- which features appearances from 50, Banks
and Young Buck. The record fuses Olivia's various influences
-- from reggae to Latin to soul -- and is sure to cement the
songstress' reputation as the next Aaliyah or Queen Latifah. |
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Other
Information |
Signed to 50 Cent's record label, G-Unit
Of Jamaican, Indian, and Cuban descent
She had two singles with accompanying music videos from her
debut album 'Behind Closed Doors' called "Twist It"
(featuring Lloyd Banks) and "So Sexy".
Originally signed to J. Records and was dropped from the
label, after debut album failed to generate significant
album sales.
Released two singles, "Bizounce" and "R U Capable" featuring
Eve from debut album titled "Olviia".
Discovered by legendary music mogul Clive Davis, who
famously discovered Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, among
others.
Signed to 50 Cent's Interscope Records imprint G-Unit
Records. |
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