We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a new series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.
On her new track “Wonderland,” Canadian pop songstress Olivia Lunny sings about chasing a moment and falling in love with your dreams—a philosophy that seems to have brought her to exactly where she’s meant to be today. After capturing the judges’ (and Canada’s) hearts on CTV’s music competition show The Launch in 2019, she’s continued her upward trajectory with a 2021 debut album and electrifying singles that boast expertly crafted lyrics and repeat-worthy beats.
For our latest Love at First Listen feature, I caught up with Olivia to get the inside scoop on “Wonderland” and her upcoming live shows with fellow Canuck Tyler Shaw during her whirlwind single release week, which took her to New York and LA after a headlining showcase at UMUSIC’s Toronto headquarters.
Welcome to Love at First Listen! Let’s talk about the song I most recently fell in love at first listen with—your new single, “Wonderland.” How has release week been?
It’s been busy and crazy, but so fun. I was just in New York shooting the “Wonderland” music video, which will be coming very soon. I actually just got the first draft and it was very whimsical and very much a wonderland. We shot in one big, white, blank studio space and created three different environments within it. It’s the most polished video I’ve done and I’m really excited for fans to see the different outfits and hair.
How long had you been sitting on “Wonderland” before it came out?
I wrote this song last winter, and it’s funny how things work. I feel like subconsciously, I write music and then by the time it comes out, somehow it resonates strongly in my life. So many amazing things have happened recently and I feel like I’m in my Wonderland era, so I’m happy that this song and this part of my life are coming together.
What does “wonderland” mean to you?
To me, “wonderland” is a state of being. It’s that feeling of you not being fully in touch with reality. You’re in a flow state because you’re just so happy, so many amazing things are happening, and you can’t even really dream of it. That’s why there are lyrics that say, “If you can imagine, you can really have it.” That’s the overarching theme for what “Wonderland” is.
So many people came to know and love you after you appeared on, and won, The Launch. What was your main takeaway from that experience?
I think it really did essentially launch—no pun intended—my career in the Canadian music scene. Being from Winnipeg, I had slowly started to build something there, but I think The Launch really got me to a point where I knew exactly what kind of music I wanted to make. From there, I connected with so many amazing people and gained great momentum. It really pushed me to a new level of where I wanted to go but wasn’t always sure how I would.
You released your debut album in July 2021. Are “Wonderland” and your summer collab with Bhad Bhabie, “VIBE CHECK,” a taste of your sophomore album or standalone tracks?
I’m in an interesting spot where I’m not necessarily heartbroken or sad, so I’ve been writing music that resembles that—and that’s new for me. Usually, it’s more break up bangers. So, it depends how we want to paint the picture. Right now, these songs are just little individual prints, but I might do a full thing. We’ll see!
You’ll be touring across western Canada with Tyler Shaw next month. What goes through your mind as you’re putting together the perfect live setlist?
My strategy is going on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and all these platforms, seeing what people enjoy and incorporating those into the set, and then obviously throwing “I Got You” (her single from The Launch) in there. I want to tell a story that shows where I’ve been, the kind of music I can make right now, and where I’m going. And I think it’s really important to have one or two songs in the middle that are a bit slower where I grab my guitar and show how this started.
Who are some of the live performers that have inspired you?
Early on, Ed Sheeran was a really big inspiration for me. Beyond our red hair, I love how he takes these ballads and can turn them into massive pop songs. I resonate with that because most of my songs start on the guitar or piano, and then with production it’s really fun to make them poppy. Post Malone puts on an amazing show too. He has a moment where it’s just him and then he picks up the guitar for two songs. His voice is incredible and he’s so likable and down to earth, and people love that.
Besides the tour, what do you have planned musically for the rest of the year?
I just came to Los Angeles, so I’ll probably be writing some tunes and seeing where this all takes me one step at a time. Right now, I’m really excited for the Tyler tour and meeting fans. I’ve never played Vancouver or anywhere in Alberta, so it’ll be really fun to keep connecting with people and seeing new places.
Since this series is called Love at First Listen, I’d love to know if there are any songs you’ve recently loved at first listen.
One is “The Dress” by an artist named Dijon, and then I would say Bob Moses and Kasblanca’s song “Afterglow.” Those two songs have definitely been on heavy rotation because when I like a song, I just play it over and over and over.
