#erikaolson

Erika Olson doesn’t define her music under any specific genre, though when pressed, she calls it “folk with a beat.” Her music spans folk, pop, americana, indie, and even blues and country. 

Rooted in the stuff of ordinary life, Erika’s songs bear witness to the glorious and devastating moments that can only be seen when we slow down. She sings to look deeper, see clearer, and know better. Her songs are similar to Brandi Carlile’s in substance and story while her voice is a folksier version of Adele meets Brandi Carlile. 

Her new single, “As I Am,” is an adult contemporary pop ballad about how people change with time and how we are shaped by our experiences. Subsequently, this affects our relationships. Children, careers, big moves, these are all big complicating events that force people to change. “I wanted to explore this changing nature of people, love and relationships, and yet honor that we still carry parts of those younger years with us,” shares Erika. “It is a bittersweet reflection on an evolving love between two committed partners.” 

“As I Am” is a grown up love song that started out as a cry to be seen for who she was becoming. But as the song evolved, Erika heard two aching hearts crying out the same cry: to be seen, heard, and understood for the new people they were. The male vocals in the song were lended by Dan Raza, a good friend of Erika and a talented musician. His addition gives the song depth, as it becomes more of a duet between two changed people. 

Listen here:

https://soundcloud.com/erika-olson-516413649/erika-olson-as-i-am-rm-broadcast-master-final-2444/s-tqn9Wtf18hl?si=7e105015fb3440f89b2a7abaf744daa3&utm_source=Soundcloud

Before having kids, Erika thought she had found her calling in a busy litigation practice and pro bono work. She was loving it, but then she had her first baby, who was born 5 weeks early. She was struggling to adjust to work and being a mom. So, 5 months after the birth of her son, she quit her job to be a full time mom. 

While that was fine for a time, she started to feel like she was losing herself, she didn’t recognize the woman looking back at her in the mirror. She took up songwriting and music to connect who she was to who she was becoming. This is why her music is so raw; this is why her music is so gripping. 

Connect with Erika Olson

Erika Olson is the singer/songwriter based in East Sussex, England. Her musical sound is a blend of indie, folk, country, blues, Americana, and pop, while her lyrics are vulnerable and honest stories of motherhood. On the verge of self-releasing her debut album, it has taken Erika several iterations of herself to get here. She’s learned that change is her constant and her power is her ability to start again.

She just released her second single from her album, “Mamma Ain’t Got No Time,” where she utilizes the folk and country genres. She shares the harsh reality of being mother, but also the beauty and joy of it.

We got a chance to talk to Erika in this edition of 7 From the Women. Let’s dive in:

What Have You Been Working To Promote Lately?

I recently released “Momma Ain’t Got No Time,” the second single from my debut album.  As a writer you often hear “write what you know.” I didn’t begin writing songs until I was a mother. I initially dismissed the notion to write what I knew because I didn’t think anyone wanted to hear songs about motherhood.  Truth be told, I hadn’t heard many songs on the topic and had no idea where to begin. But I wasn’t any good at writing about my long lost first love – I needed to explore what was happening to me in the wake of having babies.

One day in between school pick up and drop off, I was lamenting to a friend that I didn’t know what to write and that I didn’t have any time to work on my music.  My friend so astutely recommended that I write that song.  And so, I began ‘Mamma Ain’t Got No Time.” With this song in particular, I needed to write about my lived experience as a new mother – repetitive days, endless nights, changes to my body, changes to my marriage, all coupled with a sense of reverence.  As I wrote the song, I wasn’t sure if it would resonate with anyone else.  As I began to play the song at open mics and song circles, I quickly learned that I was not alone.  

"Mamma Ain’t Got No Time” is my attempt to capture the beauty and the challenge in those early days of motherhood. This song has helped me through some tough moments and if sharing this song helps just one mother feel less alone on her journey – then everything up to this point has been worth it!

https://soundcloud.com/erika-olson-516413649/erika-olson-mamma-aint-got-no-time-qzhn92209698-rm-broadcast-master-2444?si=f5502e8a67eb4c60ab8802cc19efdd60&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Please tell us about your favorite song written, recorded, or produced by another woman and why it’s meaningful to you.

Oh my goodness – this is the hardest question! There are so many amazing songs from which to choose. I adore so many songs written, recorded, and produced by women. Okay, in an effort to not overthink this – I am just going to go with what comes up first of mind…. “Top of the World” by Patty Griffin is amazing. It is a heart wrenching song. Every time I hear it I need to stop in my tracks and listen, really listen to what is being said and how it is being said. The regret, the longing, the looking back on life – she just leaves me aching.  I deeply admire Patty’s ability to harness emotion and story so intimately in her songwriting. Patty Griffin is hands down one of my most favourite songwriters out there. Her lyrics are poignant and moving and her musical choices never miss an opportunity to twist the emotional screws. I could get lost in her music for days and study her craft for the rest of my life.

What does it mean to you to be a woman making music/in the music business today and do you feel a responsibility to other women to create messages and themes in your music?

Making music as a woman and a mother means a whole heck of a lot to me.  Put simply, women are underrepresented in all aspects of music but especially behind the scenes in songwriting, engineering and producing. Because women are underrepresented as songwriters, producers, engineers, and artists, that means that our stories, triumphs, and tribulations are also underrepresented in music. If all I do is write songs to which women can relate – I will have accomplished a great deal. I have fought through challenging negative thoughts and imposter syndrome to get to the point of releasing my music today. I mean who does this, has babies, leaves a legal career, starts writing songs, moves to another country, has another baby, writes more songs, and releases a debut album. I am doing this for myself, my daughter, my mother, and anyone else needing proof that life and dreams do not stop at motherhood, at 25, 30, 40 or beyond. I want to be a part of women supporting, promoting, and encouraging women in this industry. 

What is the most personal thing you have shared in your music or in your artist brand as it relates to being female?

My turbulent experience becoming a mother is the most personal thing I share in my music as it relates to being a woman. I don’t know that we talk about bumpy motherhood entries enough. It feels like the overriding narrative is that motherhood comes naturally to most. It was not easy for me. Very little in my transition to motherhood felt natural. I made the choice to step back from my legal career because I had spent three years studying the law before I was let loose in a courtroom, but I had no real preparation for becoming a mother, other than having a baby. I felt that I needed to give my son, for at least a time, as much attention as I had given my legal studies if we were to thrive as a family. I want to share these stories so that people having a hard time settling into motherhood and parenthood do not feel broken or alone.  

Who was the first female artist that made want to create music / be in the business?

Lori McKenna, Grammy award winning songwriter extraordinaire, artist, all-around amazing human, and mother of five, inspired me to get into the music business. Falling in love with her music and learning her story gave me the nudge I needed to jump into recording and releasing my first album. If she can give it a go with five children, certainly I can try it with three! Lori’s versatility as a writer and collaborator inspire me to continue seeking out opportunities to co-write and collaborate wherever and whenever I can.  

Do you consider yourself a feminist? If so, why or why not?

I absolutely consider myself a feminist but perhaps not in the traditional sense.  Growing up, feminism seemed to primarily focus on gender equality in working environments. I was raised with the belief that girls can do whatever boys can do. I definitely felt it was my obligation to girls and women everywhere to out work, out last, and out perform my male counterparts. Coupled with that was a general message that motherhood was a necessary but minor distraction to a professional career.

Almost from the moment I became a mother, I was smacked with the reality of how our modern American society does not support mothers or families. From the barbaric lack of meaningful and universal maternity leave, to the poorly funded and oversubscribed child care options. I could not believe that I had been sold on this idea that I could have a career and a family with virtually no built-in support network.

Today my notion of feminism is inextricably linked with motherhood. I absolutely believe that women can have and do it all – but we are absolutely not superwomen. We can only do it all if we are properly supported in all that we do.  If we really believe that women are just as valuable as men in the workplace – we should do everything we can to ensure women’s ability to comfortably return to work once they have settled into motherhood.  

While women continue to strive to achieve parity with men in the workplace, we cannot reach equality by denying fundamental aspects of ourselves.  I believe we do a disservice to women and families whenever we minimize the contribution, impact, and importance of motherhood.  I believe feminism cannot be feminism without supporting women throughout all aspects of life including motherhood.

If you could collaborate with any other female artists, who would you choose?

It would be an absolute dream come true to work with Lori McKenna, Brandi Carlile, Joy Oladokun, The Secret Sisters, Patty Griffin, Dolly Parton, and/or Gilian Welch.

Growing up, Erika Olson had lived all over the United States. Before pursuing music, Erika was a lawyer, working in a litigation practice and pro bono work. That was until her first son was born 5 weeks premature. Both Erika and her baby were not thriving once she went back to work so she made the decision to leave her job to be a stay at home mom to allow her young family to flourish.

During this time at home, Erika felt like she was losing herself, so she took up guitar lessons. She would sing and play after putting her baby to sleep. She began conjuring up lyrics while on walks her baby and his buggy. Erika also tried to juggle her legal career with motherhood and her husband's career, to no avail. While six months pregnant, Erika, her husband, and two toddlers moved from North Carolina to London. 

“I Don’t Feel Like Fighting” is Erika Olson’s debut single, and first single off of her debut album set to be released this Fall. Her lyrics are vulnerable and raw like Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Rait’s. “I Don’t Feel Like Fighting” possesses the similar vibe to Joy Oladokun. Erika and Joy’s voices are sultry with a bit of raspiness. Both artists’ lyrics use imagery to tell their stories and to convey emotions. 

“‘I Don't Feel Like Fighting’ was born from a need to find my way through the chaos with some semblance of self intact,” Erika shared. It’s an honest take on parenthood, and how sometimes you just want to stop fighting. Through so much, Erika channeled her frustration into her music. She used nature for most of the lyrical imagery as a sign of strength and resilience. She sings “I want to know how the birch tree bends and does not break…” The strength is to endure the blows, and not crack under pressure.

Listen here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/3xQK6aZDWxW98op4jrR7HX?si=279753881bcc46df

Socials: