Interview: Olivia Lane Discusses ‘Heart Change’ and Self-Discovery
“Heart changes are not easy. They are definitely an exploration of self-discovery.” ~ Olivia Lane
Olivia Lane released her brand new album, HEART CHANGE, on September 17, 2021. Writing this album was a journey of healing and growth, and she couldn’t be more excited for her story to be out into the world: “I’m so proud of these songs because I think each one of these songs is a personal heart change that I’ve gone through and that so many of us go through.” Lane broke down old ways in order to move forward and become a better version of herself.
When Lane started to lose her voice back in 2017, she made the difficult decision to go off the road and take care of herself. Along with vocal therapy, she decided to do regular therapy as well for her mind and soul: “As I was healing my voice physically, I was also healing a lot of stuff mentally.”
Lane faced challenges everyone faces in their early twenties. She didn’t quite know who she was and didn’t know what exactly she wanted to do. Naturally, this found its way into her music. She said, “I was lost because I didn’t know who I was and I didn’t know what I really wanted to say as an artist, even though I was out there singing songs and trying to convince people who I was.” She also dealt with the challenges that come along with negative self talk. She said, “When you really start to become aware of what you’re saying to yourself in the mirror every morning or what you’re saying to yourself when times get tough, you realize that you really are your worst enemy sometimes.”
During this journey of healing with her anxiety, she found God at the end of this healing: “That really helped my anxiety and my stress, being able to know that there’s somebody in control of my life.” The songs on HEART CHANGE are the result of her journey of healing through finding God and knowing she always has someone to turn to.
The story behind how Lane’s album got its name is a special one. When she was in the writing room working on music for the record, she was exploring the concept of what would become the title track. She said, “My co-writer spun around and was like, ‘You need a heart change,’ and I was like, that’s amazing.” She knew right away this was a perfect title for the song. She realized this song was the summary of her life and it became the title of her album. She holds this project close to her heart because “There needs to be a heart change before the world can become a better place.”
Lane’s favorite lyric from the title track, “HEART CHANGE,” is “There’s a fine line between passion and hate.” She opens up about how everyone is hurting right now, and we don’t know everyone’s story or how they got to where they are. She feels it’s so important to be aware and show compassion. If people would stop and think about what they’re saying to each other, she thinks the world would be a much better place: “I think we all need to do a better job of just—I need to do a better job of just being aware of that line.”
HEART CHANGE has eleven incredible tracks. First, Lane shares the story behind “LOIS LANE,” the single she released leading up to the album. This is truly a song dear to her heart. She explained, “LOIS LANE’ is a very special song because my grandmother’s name is actually Lois Lane.” She’s been pitching around the idea for this song for years, but “When people don’t really vibe on your ideas as an artist, you start to think that they’re terrible ideas.” Still, she didn’t let this one go. She said, “I knew, I knew this idea was a good one.” So, when she pitched it for the album, her collaborators were all for it. She even got on the phone to ask her grandmother questions to make the song super detailed. This was a fun writing session, and this song isn’t only special to her. She said, “It’s been really cool seeing how personal it was for me but also how personal it is for so many other people out there.”
Next, Lane talked about why she chose “Same Old Story” as the first track on HEART CHANGE. This was the first song she released as a single for the album, but as a whole, she feels it’s a great introduction to the album because “I’m actually meeting somebody who’s making life seem beautiful again.” This song isn’t only an introduction to HEART CHANGE. It’s an introduction to where Lane stands as a healing woman. She said, “I’m not going to settle for anything less than amazing anymore.” “Same Old Story” sets up the rest of the album that captures many other areas in life where Heart Changes happen.
In her powerful song, “Living Instead,” Lane sings, “I need to stop living in my head and start living instead.” When she was in therapy, her therapist wanted her to become more aware of what she was thinking. She had to learn to not let every thought into her heart and mind. That day, she had a huge realization. With a laugh, she said, “I was like, not everything I think is true. Oh, my goodness, this is amazing news!” After she left the session, she kept thinking about this breakthrough moment: “I really need to stop living inside of my head and start living my life instead. And then, all of a sudden, I was like, did that just rhyme?” The whole song started coming to her so quickly. The melody, music, vibe, lyrical concept, it all just clicked for her. This was a huge day for her because “It was, like, a mental breakthrough, but also came with a song idea. So, it was amazing.”
Next, Lane really opens up about “WOMAN AT THE WELL.” This is the song she was most nervous to come out with: “I was really nervous pitching that idea because that was one of the first times I really spoke about my spirituality. It was the first time I really talked about Jesus in a co-write.” She wasn’t sure how this all worked as a country artist. Still, she realized there was room for her spirituality in her music, too. Despite how difficult it was to pitch this idea, she’s happy she did: “It ended up working out, and I’m so glad I was vulnerable because that song is probably one of the biggest songs I’ve seen resonate with people, and it’s truly remarkable to just see how God is using that song.”
Out of all the songs on HEART CHANGE, Lane is most excited for fans to hear “BREAK,” which is the final track on the album: “It’s just such a lovely way to end this chapter because all of these heart changes I had came from some sort of breaking.” She feels this song captures the theme of the album perfectly because “Sometimes, the beauty comes from the breaking.”
Creating this meaningful album was truly a heart change for Lane. She hopes that it touches the hearts of others as well: “I hope that people are inspired to go on a journey of self-revelation and self-healing because there’s beauty in being completely broken open. You can become a better person of yourself, always, even when you think you’re the better version of yourself, there’s still always room to grow, and to question things, and to not feel stuck in who they are because there’s always going to be beauty in the breaking process.”
Experience the beauty and vulnerability of HEART CHANGE now by clicking here. Head over to Olivia Lane’s website for more news, her merch, and more.
From the whole team at Belles and Gals, we’re sending congratulations to Lane on an outstanding project.
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