Posted on Aug 12, 2012 at 6:15 PM

hi hi hi! well. since it's been almost a YEAR since my last post i decided it's probably time to post something new on here! talk about time flying. (so scary...) as some of you may know, i spent this summer in the lovely nashville, TN! it was a really great experience. i spent last summer in nashville too, but this summer trumps it for so many reasons. first of all, two of my friends from USC, erin and kerry, shared an apartment with me. it was so amazing having them there! (last summer it was just me and oscar.) second of all, my internship was awesome. i worked for gordon law group, coordinating the redesign of their website, making a web series for them with kerry, and sitting in on client meetings and court cases. i'm really interested in entertainment law, so the experience at GLG was perfect. and it was on music row...even better! closer to the action haha. and the third reason why this summer was better than last summer is that i was working on the most exciting musical projects i've ever taken part in.

like last summer, i spent my time writing lots of songs. but unlike last summer, i was writing songs for different purposes...i wrote some songs for myself as an artist, but i also cowrote songs for other artists. i wrote with some lovely people, including hit songwriter fred knobloch. fred and i wrote what i think is one of my best songs ever, called 'train tracks.' i had the idea one night that 'train tracks' would be a sweet title and would make for a cool love song, so i took it to fred and we made it happen. well at least i think we did haha. i can't wait to share it with you all. 

i also had the privilege of writing a song with country duo north 40 (north40country.com)! north 40 will be using the song we wrote on their first album, which they'll be recording in the fall. so i guess that's my first independent cut...hasn't really hit me yet. it's just such an honor to think that a talented duo like north 40 would want to cut a song that i wrote with them...it's surreal. 

i also wrote some songs with my friend kerry. kerry is a filmmaker (she does my youtube vids!), but she is also really great at helping me think of lyric ideas. kerry and i are in the process of editing a documentary we shot this past semester at USC. (to see more about what the documentary is about, watch this video.) our goal is to not only film and edit the whole film, but to also write all the music for it. so, kerry and i have been busy writing songs. the songs aren't my normal country pop style...they are a bit more raw/indie-pop sounding, i suppose. it's coming along nicely. i'll be posting more updates about the documentary soon!

last of all, i wrote my first jingle! ha. kerry and i found this ludens jingle contest and decided to enter. listen to our jingle here and please vote for us!

so yeah...i was busy writing songs for a few different purposes this summer! i think i got a lot better at writing songs for different genres and for writing songs that were a bit deeper, lyrically, than my past songs (well, except for the ludens jingle haha). so yay for branching out! and thank you to all the great cowriters who helped me develop :)

last of all, i have big news! i am releasing a ten-song album in september!!! wahoooooooo! though i've already released some of the songs on youtube (confused, draw yourself a line, high, etc.), there will be a few new songs on there too :) 7 of the songs will be full band, and 3 will be acoustic. i hope you will get it when it comes out! the money i make goes right back into recording new songs :D

i think that's it for news! i'll talk to you guys some more once i get back to school. (on thursday, i head back to LA!) hope everyone is doing well, and thank you so so so much for supporting me.

-olivia

Posted on Sep 08, 2011 at 02:22 AM

eeeekkkk! i just had the best birthday surprise ever! like ten of my friends just burst into my room at midnight with a freakin delicious homemade german chocolate cake and started singing...i was in bed with wet hair wearing a sports bra haha...i was totally caught off guard! but in the best way ever. i was in the middle of writing this paper and then all of them showed up and it just made me want to cry. you know when people do really nice stuff and you don't even know what to do cause it's so thoughtful? it was one of those moments. we then proceeded to play baseball... with a pinata haha. while wearing a deer mask instead of a blindfold hahahaha. i will post pictures on my facebook soon :) anyway i just wanted to post about this lovely amazing birthday surprise cause it was so nice and put me in such a good mood. i am so thankful for my friends. i wish you guys could've tried this cake that kerry and jayme made...soooooo good. NOM.

aside from my birthday, i had some other good news.. this hit country songwriter that i've wanted to get advice from/write with called me today saying he liked my stuff! i emailed him weeks ago and he didn't respond, so i was so shocked and happy when he called! any chance i get to talk to a seasoned songwriting pro i get so excited!
gosh today was so lovely! i need to go to bed now though...it's so late and i am falling asleep. i hope you all have a great day!

-olivia
ps: check out my newest youtube video if you haven't yet! click here to watch:)

Posted on Aug 30, 2011 at 01:43 AM

hey guys,

i just want to let you all know that i am officially moved into school, and my sophomore year at USC has started off very well! i am taking music recording, music law, guitar, musicology, and anthropology. i am very interested in all of my classes, and all my professors are super legit! my anth professor has worked with jane goodall and one of my music profs has played with jimi hendrix... crazy huh. i feel so lucky to be able to go to school here.

not only are my classes great, but so is the city of LA! the food in this town is just amazing. i went to philippes last night for my friend annie's birthday and the french dip was incredible! food network was right. and gosh the weather here puts me in such a great mood! always sunny with no humidity.. so beautiful with the palm trees scattered around too. i went to manhattan beach the other day and couldn't stop looking around me...everything just looked so perfect, so beautiful. i am so incredibly high off of life :)

as for music... i am in the process of getting together a new cover video since i haven't posted one for a while. i want to try stereo hearts. and i also have a couple new originals up my sleeve that i'm excited to post :) we are also thinking about my next music video...i really wanna do one to draw yourself a line but i can't think of any good video ideas :/ if you guys think of anything cool message me on my site through the form! i'd love to hear your thoughts.

time for me to go to bed..talk to you guys soon :)

-olivia

Posted on Jul 22, 2011 at 01:42 AM

hello hello hello!

once again i haven't posted in quite some time...almost two months...but i have just been so so busy! i apologize. 

this summer in nashville has been soooo amazing! to begin, my internship at NSAI was great. the staff members were passionate and amazing and i got along well with all of them. NSAI is an amazing place for songwriters of all levels. i would highly recommend joining. i am so sad to leave NSAI, but i will be back to visit whenever i am in nashville.

in terms of my music, things have really been picking up! i finished recording a brand new set of five original songs here in nashville and i think they all sound really good! i can't wait to share them with you! i just posted one of them (draw yourself a line) on youtube, so you can check that out if you want :) and even cooler...a radio station up in canada called BX93 is debuting draw yourself a line tomorrow on their station! during rush hour! they told me over 100,000 people would be tuned in. needless to say, i am uber excited! if you wanna listen, go to bx93.com tomorrow at around 8:10am EST. last piece of news about draw yourself a line: i went to a pitch to publisher night at NSAI tonight and the publisher asked for a copy of draw yourself a line to listen to again! i'm so glad that song is being so well-received because it means a lot to me.

i have also caught the attention of some other industry people in nashville, including hit songwriters, a successful song plugger, NSAI's staff, and my performance rights organization. (i don't want to say names until things are set in stone.)  but basically, my music is getting some exposure and people in nashville are liking it and supporting me in my journey, which i am so extremely thankful for. i am still working on getting a record deal/publishing deal, so cross your fingers for me!

i feel like i've made a lot of progress with both networking and improving my songwriting since i've been to nashville. i am very very grateful for the people i've met who have been supporting me, and i am excited to see what the future holds for me. 

i am moving back to north carolina on monday, being interviewed by my local news station on thursday (yay for being on TV for the first time! :D), and leaving for the beach on sunday with my family and friends, kerry and jayme. the day after we get back from the beach, i get my wisdom teeth out (ouch!) and five days later i'm on a plane back to los angeles for the school year. gosh summer has flown by!

now it is time for me to go to bed...i am practically falling asleep at the computer...but thank you guys for reading this post and giving me support. the kind words, the youtube comments, the messages on my website, the comments on my facebook...it all means so much to me. i can't say thank you enough.

-olivia

PS--for those of you who weren't able to listen to my recent online radio interview and "high" song debut, you can find it for free here. i'm the july 14th episode. night!

Posted on June 6, 2011 at 7:00 PM

hey guysssss!

oh my gosh... i can't believe it's been THREE MONTHS since i've last posted in my blog! honestly to me it feels like it's been like three or four weeks max. gahhh. well anyway sorry i haven't posted in so freakin long! but this blog post is gonna hopefully make up for it cause i have a lotttt to say.

i had my last final at USC on may 11th (it was economics and i ended up getting an A so yippeeeee!) and i went back to north carolina shortly after that. the end of the school year was quite sad for me, which is weird because in the past i've always been happy to end the school years. i think it's sadder in college because you have to leave both school and all your good friends there, while in high school you just finish school but you can still see your friends all the time (since you don't have to travel back home). but yeah, my freshman year was so incredibly amazing. it's by far been the best year of my life, for many reasons.

going to college was a liberating experience for me. it forced me to grow up since i was thousands of miles away from home without family, and i learned a lot about myself throughout my time in california. i also met some really awesome people-my roommate, danielle, and the girls on my floor were so nice and i really enjoyed hanging out and living with them! i will miss our 7th floor pizza parties :( and i also made friends with a few suppppper talented artsy people, including jayme dee (check her out on youtube) and kerry furrh (the girl who makes my music videos, who you can also check out on youtube). i've never really had friends that were into the arts/music as much as me, so it was so great having friends like jayme and kerry. they both astound me with their respective talents.

though i've learned so much this year, i'm gonna focus on two things that i think are very important to being happy in life (sorry if this is getting too deep for you haha)
1) independence. this year, i learned that i need to be happy on my own and i can't rely on one or two select people to be happy. if someone you love a lot suddenly disappears, you have to have other sources of happiness in order to have the strength to keep moving forward. i've learned to make friends with all sorts of people and to foster relationships with both friends, family, and new people i meet, along with finding self-fulfillment through music-something i'm proud of.
2) laughter. this year i defffffinitely learned about the joys of laughter. this sounds pretty pathetic, but i didn't really laugh that much in high school. or smile a lot. i was so focused on accomplishing tasks that i feel like i didnt take enough time to really enjoy my life. this year, my friend kerry that i was talking about earlier unintentionally made me realize that laughing is the best thing ever!!!! she made me laugh so much that i found myself in much better moods a lot of the time. cause when you're laughing you can't be sad cause...well...you're busy laughing and getting a kick out of something hilarious. there were definitely lots of factors that contributed to making me me happier than i've ever been this year, but laughing my butt off all the time definitely played a big part 

okay enough about college. and enough deep, emotionally-draining life lessons haha. now i will tell you what's happening right now in my life! i am currently residing in nashville doing many things: interning at nashville songwriters association, recording new songs (YAY), playing at open mics, cowriting, and basically trying to improve myself as an artist/songwriter. i dream about eventually signing some sort of publishing or development deal, but i don't want to get my hopes up about anything. i'm giving nashville my all, and hopefully something cool with happen. i've only been here like three days but i've already fallen in love with the city. nashville is beautiful-so charming and easy to navigate (unlike LA haha). today was my first day interning and it was great! gosh i've been learning so much about the music industry this past year..it's awesome! but wow this post is getting way too long and i need to go to dinner anyway, so i'm gonna go. 

oh but before i leave, one more update! my music video will no longer be for the song "honeysuckle sweet;" it is now to a brand new song i just wrote called "high off life." the video should be out by the end of june cause kerry is coming to film the rest of it next week! i'll keep ya posted on everything :)

talk to you guys later..i love you all!

-olivia

ps- check out my new song "confused" if you haven't already! 

Posted on Mar 09, 2011 at 03:59 PM

hey guys,

oh my gosh i am so mad cause i just wrote a really long blog post and it didn't save!! so frustrating! sooo i'm gonna give you the sparknotes version of what i just wrote :)

first off, sorry for not posting in forever! i've been so busy...gosh time really does fly. it's crazy. i can't believe the semester is halfway done already!! i don't want this school year to be over :( i love usc and los angeles way too much. today it is 78 degrees and sunny and it is paradise. i start smiling when i step outside :)

also, i am really pumped cause i'm going to costa rica tomorrow with my mom! woohoooooo! costa rica has been my dream trip since fifth grade when i did a project on it so i am just bubbling over with excitement. i wanna see some monkeys!! or make a youtube vid in the rainforest...how cool would that be?!

in terms of music, we are in the process of organizing a music video for my song "you're done messin' with me." i think the vid will be pretty cool :) also, i am planning on releasing "confused" as a single sometime soon. probably before the video. i can't wait for you guys to hear the new studio versions of both songs!!

one more thing pertaining to music...i am living in nashville this summer! YESSSSS. i LOVE nashville. i think it may be my favorite city in the world. hmm. but yeah i will be interning at NSAI (nashville songwriter's association), working a part-time job, playing open mics at night, and recording some new songs! the only sad part is that i don't have friends in nashville...i hope i'm not too lonely! hopefully i will make some friends :)

so yeah that's basically all that's going on for me right now. if you have spring break coming up, i hope you have a lovely time! it's so nice to have a break from school/work etc. talk to you all soon!

-olivia

Posted on Feb 01, 2011 at 06:08 PM
 
hey guys,

i wish i had more time to write because i feel like writing a super long post right now. but i have to keep it short cause i have homework..ew.

first off, i have been listening to music nonstop recently and i have a couple new songs that i am obsessed with:

-edge of desire by john mayer
-bang bang by k'naan and adam levine
-where did my baby go by john legend
-i want love by elton john
-goodbye to you by michelle branch

all of these songs are all so awesome..you should check them out. you can click on them to hear them.

secondly, i am sooooo excited because next time i go to nashville i'm going to have my first writing session! a writer down there who has written for whitney houston heard one of my songs and wants to write with me! yayayayayy! i've never had an offical writing session before so i am really pumped about it. hopefully it will go well and we'll write a really cool song:)

also, i have the mixes to "confused" and "you're done messin' with me" and i really like how both of them turned out!! we are trying to decide which one to do a music video for...i'll let you know which one we're gonna do as soon as we decide!

hope you guys have a great day :)

-olivia

Posted on Jan 18, 2011 at 12:34 AM 

hey guys,

i am so pumped because my trip to nashville was great! i think the recording went really well. i get the final mixed songs this week so i am very excited about that. once we get the songs, we will decide which one to make a music video to :)

on a less happy note, over break, i found out that my then-boyfriend had been cheating on me for the past year...not the best news in the world. i wrote a song about it called "goodbye" that you can listen to on my youtube page. i've been reflecting a lot on the situation recently and i've come to some conclusions about boys and relationships:

number one- look at your boyfriend's friends. if your boyfriend hangs out with people who have reps for being jerks or for treating girls badly, that can't be a good sign about your guy's character.

number two- don't hesitate to break up with someone who you've caught lying repeatedly. even if the lies are about small things, he's probably lying about bigger things that you just haven't caught him for yet. he could very well be lying about being loyal to you. 

number three- don't drag out the pain of a breakup. aka don't stalk your ex on facebook or text him or call him or make any contact with him after the breakup. drop him cold turkey. you will get over him faster if you don't dwell on him excessively.

number four...most important...don't forget about your friends and family when you're dating. don't let a guy who could very well end up breaking your heart cause you to forget about the people who care about you most. i can't stress this one enough. seriously.

to wrap it up, i think you really just have to go with your gut feeling in relationships. if you feel like something is off, it probably is. but anyway, enough about boys! gosh this post is getting too depressing haha. i'm gonna go write a song for my songwriting class...it's due tomorrow so i need to get going. props to whoever actually read this whole thing. i'm impressed. talk to you guys soon :)

-olivia

Posted on Dec 23, 2010 at 01:53 AM

hey everyone,

first of all, i want to apologize for not writing in so long! gosh i can't believe a month has passed since my last entry. time flies. let me fill you in on what has been keeping me so busy.

after my latest post, i proceeded to go home to north carolina for thanksgiving break. it was a really short break, and going home was kinda weird because i felt like a guest in my own house. and right when i got settled in, i was packing up to fly back to california. as fast as break passed, thanksgiving day was wonderful. all of the relatives on my mom's side of the family came to our house for a great meal and reunion. i am so thankful for my family, relatives, and friends.

once i got back to USC after thanksgiving break, i was immediately loaded with work. i had two and a half weeks until flying back home for christmas break, and i had to write 4 papers and take 4 finals. those two and a half weeks were jam packed with writing and studying...yuck. however, after getting the bulk of my work done, i was able to take a break. one day, when it was 80 degrees, my friends and i laid out by the pool to tan. how crazy..tanning in december! i couldn't believe it. another day, me and a couple friends went shopping at third street promenade (i highly recommend shopping there...it's awesome!). those trips were really the only breaks i had from studying, and when the day came to fly back to north carolina for christmas break i was so excited. i was so so so ready for a break from work!

now i am finally home relaxing and eating good food and it is awesome. it's great being with my family and seeing my friends. today i got to do some christmas shopping with my dad, along with visiting a pet store with some very cute puppies. i am seriously obsessed with dogs.

as for music news, i am playing a show at Staley's in winston-salem sometime within the next week. the date has not been confirmed yet but it will either be on sunday the 26th or tuesday the 28th. i will be playing an acoustic set with my brother, eric. 

also, i am going to nashville in early january to record 2 new original songs! i am soooooo excited! but i'm also nervous because i really really want these songs to turn out well. they are two of my favorites. the songs are "you're done messin' with me" and "confused," which are both on my youtube channel if you're interested in hearing them. we are also planning a new music video for one of the two songs :)

last, i got a twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/OMitchellMusic . please follow me if you haven't already!

anyway, i need to go to bed because i am so tired. once again, sorry for not writing in forever and i will try to post a new youtube video soon. thanks for reading this and i hope you all have a merry christmas!

-olivia

Posted on Nov 19, 2010 at 11:11 PM

hey guys,

so, i told myself i would focus on writing my music industry paper while i was in this starbucks for the three hours before the harry potter premiere but i couldn't help but write a blog entry cause i am in such a reflective mood. first off, LA is amazing. there is so much diversity and i love just sitting here in the LA live starbucks and people-watching, as creepy as that sounds haha. there are so many different characters coming in. also, christmas decorations are already being put up and it's making me so happy! i love christmas. who doesn't? oh my gosh, it's so amusing looking at all the harry potter people in line for starbucks right now. there are some pretty intense outfits haha. i can't wait to see the movie!

i am in the best mood ever right now and i'm not quite sure why. i am loving life so much this year. i feel like i've grown up and learned a lot. one thing i've learned is that you can't please everyone, and you can't care about what people think of you. when i first started youtubing, i used a fake name and didn't show my face. i was so so insecure. gosh, freshman year of high school was not fun. i was afraid to sing in front of people and i was so nervous about people not liking my voice or songs. now, i've learned that i should share my music with as many people as possible. i get fans that way, and a lot of really amazing ones. i love my youtube fans so much and i am so thankful for them. i love talking to you guys and hearing about what's going on in your life, even if sometimes i'm too busy to respond. i love reading your personal messages. i feel like i have so many friends just in the form of fans. i am so so thankful for those people who are kind enough to tell me how much my music has touched or inspired them. thank you guys so much..you have no idea how much it means to me. i get hate comments sometimes, and i get comments from people that hate on my taylor swift-like style of music, but i am so happy cause now that i've grown up a bit, i don't care what they think! the people that don't like me don't matter to me, and the people that DO like me are the people that do matter. i feel so liberated now that i'm not afraid to put myself out there and not be scared of what the haters will say.

also, i've been thinking back a lot on high school recently after doing this whole hello hollywood music video. i just want to say to anyone who's feeling down or awkward or insecure or left out in high school that it WILL get better. high school is so so so superficial and looking back on it, i am sooo happy i'm done. though college is somewhat superficial as well, people are so much more mature. it's just a lot better. and it's a time where you can start with a clean slate and be whoever you want to be. i am here for anyone who needs encouragement for making it through middle/high school cause i know from experience..those times are not easy. to all my fans...please feel free to send me a personal message on youtube or through the form on my website if you're having a hard time. i am here for you. i think the main thing i regret in life is not realizing sooner that i should've been myself in high school and not tried to fit in so much. once you get older, it becomes cooler and cooler to be different.

wowwwwww. i just rambled a LOT haha. i'm sorry that was so long but i just have a lot going through my mind right now. well i should probably get back to my paper but again, the last message i wanna leave you with is to BE YOURSELF. don't be afraid to stand out. you guys are all so amazing and whoever doesn't appreciate you seriously doesn't matter. i'm gonna force myself to go now but i'll write again soon :)

-olivia

Posted on Nov 18, 2010 at 05:33 AM

hello everyone,

i am so excited about how the release of the "hello hollywood" music video went!! the video has gotten almost 5000 views in just a couple days! you all have helped out so much in getting those views by posting the video on your facebook and sharing it with friends, and i hope you will continue to do so! we've gotten a lot of good feedback on the video and a second one is already in the works for the song "you're done messin' with me." you can hear it on youtube. i will be making a professional recording of it in nashville over christmas break! i am so excited! thanks for your support with the video and please please please keep sharing it with your friends! you guys are absolutely amazing :)

oh, and here's the link to the video in case you haven't seen it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jva1fnVkEU


-olivia

 Posted on Nov 14, 2010 at 06:15 PM

hey guys,

i've been really busy recently and so i thought i would let you know what i've been up to. this past weekend, i filmed the remaining scenes for my music video for my song "hello hollywood." on friday, we filmed a classroom scene for the video. we got lots of extras to come be students sitting in the classroom, including youtube star and friend, tiffany alvord. tiffany actually played a small role in the video-the girl who makes me jealous. you'll have to watch the video so it makes more sense. but anyway, we filmed for about two hours in a USC classroom, and everything went great. on saturday, we filmed another scene on at santa monica beach. first of all, let me just say that santa monica beach at sunset is the most gorgeous place ever. the sky was so beautiful..amazing shades of pink and purple. i definitely want to go back to that beach to just hang out and watch the sunset. but anyway, we filmed for about an hour and everything went well, once again. i know i'm not disclosing much about the plot of the music video, but if you watch it you will understand it all. i don't want to ruin it :) the video will be out within 24 hours and i am sooo excited! also, just so you know, if you join my mailing list and then post your e-mail address you signed up with on my facebook music page, i will send you a free download of hello hollywood. one last piece of exciting news i have is that i just found out that i'm a finalist for the annual Show Me The Music Songwriting Contest! i was so excited when i find out! the grand prize winner will be announced within the next week or so.

i know that was a long post so props to anyone who read the whole thing :) keep checking my youtube and facebook music page because the video will be up really soon! yayyy :) and remember, sign up for my mailing list for a free download of the song!

-olivia

 Posted on Nov 07, 2010 at 03:27 AM

hey guys,

i am so excited because i had a great day today at the TAXI conference in los angeles! i rode to the conference with some pop music majors (one was jayme dee, the girl i did the "mean" youtube video with). after arriving, i got to meet up with a great producer named cliff goldmacher. we had a nice chat and he introduced me to a few of his friends in the industry. i also met tiffany alvord in person for the first time (she has been a youtube friend of mine for years now). so that was so neat! i went to two different talks which were both really interesting. cliff goldmacher taught the first one, which was about songwriters taking their songs into the studio. the second one was a panel of prominent music industry executives, including mio vukovic and donnt caseine. there were music industry pros all over! it was so awesome hearing them talk. i met a hit country songwriter after the panel. his name is doug johnson. i also met some songwriters and exchanged business cards with some. basically, it was a really educational day that was also full of networking. i'm going back tomorrow so i hope it goes well again! just wanted to keep you posted :)

-olivia

Posted on Nov 04, 2010 at 07:39 PM

hey guys,

i just wrote a facebook note about USC so i thought i'd post it here too. here ya go:

I’ve been meaning to write about my life at USC ever since I first moved in here on August 17th. I envy the people who keep journals…they have so much dedication to write every day! I’ve tried numerous times to start a journal or diary of some sort and I just can’t keep it up. I guess my journal is my songwriting notebook. And while there is documentation in my songs, the songs are more theme-oriented than event-oriented. Today, I am going to give a summary of everything that’s happened ever since I came to USC. I will have to skip some things because it’s been over two months (I can’t believe that!) and I have a cold so I have to go to bed soon to get better. I don’t want to forget about the amazing experiences I’ve had in California. But gosh I don’t even know where to begin in describing everything I’ve gotten to do since being here. I’m a little bit obsessed with celebrities, so there will be a lot about celeb sightings/meetings in here (haha) but I will try to cover other things as well.

Move-in day was not fun. Wow…talk about hectic. Not only is it bad because you have to lug big suitcases up stairs and unload them and put everything where it belongs, but everyone is also really nervous because they don’t know anyone and want to make friends. Or at least that’s how I was. I mean the concept of moving from North Carolina and moving to California, where I know zero people, was pretty frightening at the time. But also completely intriguing. Saying goodbye to my mom was really hard because it was the last goodbye before I was totally alone, or without people I knew. As Welcome Week passed, things got better. I learned that my roommate was awesome and I had some cool floormates too. I was so pysched because everyone on my floor loved my music and would blast it in their rooms/the hall. I can't be happier than when people tell me they love my music.

Anyway, during Welcome Week, basically everyone you meet you get their number. It's kinda weird. And in the cafeteria you just sit down with random people and it's totally normal. After like three weeks, it became weird to sit down and eat with random people again. The food is really good at USC. We have two cafeterias (EVK is okay but Parkside is awesome) and a ton of restaurants and food courts. Lots of food. And there is sushi all over which I love. My classes are cool. I'm taking Music Industry, Music Theory, Guitar, Songwriting, and Thematic Option (this honors program reading/writing thing). I don't have class Friday which is AMAZING cause I always have a three day weekend. There is a lot more free time in college too. You have a lot less class and more time to do work. And to be honest, the work hasn't even been that hard. High school was more stressful. What's also cool about USC is that there are sooooo many people and sooo many COOL people. There are so many artsy people and so many musicians..it's so cool. I've met some really neat people here. Also, the weather is gorgeous. It's almost always sunny and dry and there are palm trees all over. Gosh I love it in California. There is also a ton of school spirit here. Like it's ridiculous. People wear USC gear all the time.

Speaking of USC gear, the bookstore is unbelievable. It's four floors. One is computer/school supply stuff. One is just like a regular bookstore with books and magazines and board games and lots of random things. One is all USC gear. Shirts, sweatshirts, bags, hats, socks, jerseys, sports gear, blankets, mugs, chairs, lanyards, and even cardinal and gold tortilla chips. There's so much more than I just said I just can't think of it all. The best floor of the store is the bottom floor...for those of you in Winston, it's like Rebeccas. They have a ton of designer jeans and clothing. But it gets better..there are also shoes like Toms and Rainbows and Benefit/Bare Minerals makeup and all these cute things that I always want to buy when I see. Basically, the store is really cool. Okay I need to stop talking about USC and start talking about cool things that have happened before I fall asleep!

The first really cool day was my birthday on September 8th. At midnight when I was studying, my floormates came in and sang happy birthday with party hats and their own version of a cake (haha) and it was the cutest thing ever. When I woke up the next morning, my room and door was decorated. They snuck in in the middle of the night and put streamers and posters and balloons all over. It was so nice. We went out to a nice dinner at this place called The Lab that night, and we happened to get two free appetizers! They were so good. The waiter just came over was like "Hey here are some free appetizers for you guys!" It was cool. I also found out on my birthday that I was going to the VMAs! This girl I know named Jen had gotten tickets to be in the Justin Bieber commercial/VMA promo shoot that Friday and then go to the VMA red carpet on Sunday. Basically, we saw Bieber face to face and saw him rehearse his VMA set like five times in a row from the first couple rows. It was really neat. At the red carpet, I saw soooo many people up close. Usher and Justin Timberlake walked right by us and did a little "I'm excited for the VMAs" dance. I was so starstruck. I also saw Ashley Greene cause she walked by me, along with some girls from the Hills. We saw other stars from a bit further away, but still really close at the red carpet bleachers. We saw Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, Disney actors, Selena Gomez, Jersey Shore cast (ha), Penn Badgely, and basically every celebrity you can think of. It was sooo so so so so cool! Sadly, I didn't have a camera so I didn't get any pictures :( Oh, we also got to be in the front row of the pit when Kanye sang at the VMAs! In short, the VMAs were absolutely amazing. We got to go behind the scenes and see everything get taped and get put together.

Something else cool that we did was take a day trip to Little Tokyo. We ate the best sushi I have ever had in my life. After Little Tokyo, we went to West Hollywood to go vintage shopping. The first store we went to, I met Emily Osment (Lily from Hannah Montana). She wouldn't take a picture with me! I was very bitter about it. She said the store wouldn't like it. That's bull...nobody was around. Ugh. Anyway, we went to another store and then ate at this cute little cafe and went home. Fun day. I'm getting tired so I'm gonna be more brief now. We went to this celebrity autobiography thing one day where tv actors read other celebrities autobiographies and basically made fun of them just by reading them aloud. They read from Britney Spears and Tiger Woods and a few others. It's so crazy what these celebs write in their biographies..they sound so dumb sometimes. Some guy from Ugly Betty was there. Or maybe Glee. I can't remember. It was soo funny.

In the past week, I've heard the founder of Hudson Jeans speak, go to a USC fashion show where I met AnnaLynne McCord, saw Obama speak, hear Lady GaGa's manager talk, and see Taylor Swift from like fifteen feet away for her Thanksgiving taping. It was amazing seeing her up close....she is absolutely stunning. She sang on top of a double decker bus at Hollywood and Highland. We also went to my roommate's high school football game where Will Smith's son played, so we're assuming Will Smith was somewhere in the bleachers. We were too lazy to look for him. I also just met the guy who wrote the theme song from the Hills (the guitar player from Phantom Planet). It's so crazy how seeing famous people is the norm over here. I get so starstruck by it and I love it!

Since being here, I've also been to Malibu, Venice Beach, and up to the Hollywood sign for my music video! That's another cool thing that's happening..I'm making a music video! There's a super super talented film major here who is directing and shooting it. Here name is Kerry Furrh. Check out her website at kerryfurrh.com. Anyway, we shot a scene with the Hollywood sign in the background which was so fun. We're currently working on finishing it up. Also, the football games have been fun! Everyone is so pumped up the day of home games. Literally the whole campus is covered in tailgates. Oh, I'm also part of concert committee here so we're working on booking a cool band for the winter concert. Hmmm what else? Ooh, Nick Cannon is coming soon to do a comedy show soon. Should be interesting. And the guy from 500 Days of Summer (Joseph Gordon Levitt) is coming to talk. Everyone is really excited for that. Gosh so much stuff is always happening. It's ridiculous. LA is such an amazing city...there is so much to do! Like go to LA live to watch a movie and have a nice dinner. Or go to a taping of a show like Jimmy Kimmel or the VMAs or Taylor Swift or America's Got Talent. I'm always busy and it's awesome. I'm working on getting my music out there too. I've been writing a lot of songs and I hope that soon I will be noticed. Right now, my goal is to get the music video done, get my songs on iTunes, and promote the video a ton when it's out. For everyone who is supportive of my musical endeavors, thank you so so much. I can't say that enough. It means so much to be encouraged from my peers. I have left out so much stuff about USC...man! I knew I couldn't cover it all. Well I gave you a very summarized version of what has happened so far..I'm sure tomorrow I'll realize something really cool I left out. Anyway, for anyone who has read this whole thing, props to you! And to everyone in high school: APPLY TO USC. You will NOT regret it :)

-olivia
 

 Posted on Oct 23, 2010 at 04:15 PM

hey guys,

unfortunately when we tried to film the beach scene for the Hello Hollywood music video last week, it was cloudy :( the weather was not good, which is weird cause it's usually always sunny in california. so we're a little behind with the filming, but we're getting the classroom scene done on monday. we're hoping that goes smoothly!

right now i'm just writing songs, trying to promote myself, and hoping someone in the industry notices me. if you know any A & R people please give them my website! once the music video is done, i plan to promote that as much as possible and i will be asking you guys for help too with spreading word.

i'm going to go write a paper (yuck) but i will write again soon!

-olivia

 Posted on Oct 14, 2010 at 10:49 PM

hey guys,

just want to give you an update on my music. right now we are in the middle of filming a music video to my song hello hollywood! yayyyy! i am so excited about it...it's been going really well so far. a super talented film major from USC is filming and editing it. her name is kerry furrh and her website is kerryfurrh.com. you should check it out! but anyway, last sunday we filmed scenes in front of the hollywood sign, on sunset boulevard, and on hollywood boulevard. tomorrow we're filming a scene at santa monica beach, and we will then just have a classroom scene and red carpet scene to film. i am sooo excited for it to be done cause i have a really good feeling about it.

as you all probably know, i just started a facebook fan page so it would be so so amazing if you could all suggest the page to your friends. here is the link to the page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Olivia-Mitchell/154189234601708?ref=ts

i'm trying to get to 1000 likes so pleaseee click 'suggest to friends' !

anyway, i will try to post more frequently so i can keep you filled in on the video and other music news. talk to you all soon!

-olivia

 Posted on Oct 02, 2010 at 03:32 AM

hey guys,

guess what? i just did my first radio interview...yayy! here's the link, if you want to listen: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ashbeezy/2010/09/29/olivia-mitchell-talks-live-with-ashbeezy-breezy

on a different note, i was lucky enough to go to the early screening of this movie tonight called life as we know it, with katherine heigl and josh duhamel. (sometimes USC shows movies before they are in theaters for students..it's really neat.) it was SO GOOD! i would highly recommend seeing it if you like romantic comedies.

now i'm in my dorm getting ready for bed. i am so tired! but anyway, if you get a chance, it would be so cool if you could check out the interview. i'll do another blog post soon...night :)

-olivia

 Posted on Sep 20, 2010 at 08:16 PM

hi everyone,
i have so much to tell you..it's been a while! i've officially been at USC for a month now and i absolutely love it. from my floormates to the campus to my classes to the food to downtown LA, USC is awesome! i highly recommend checking out some california schools if you're looking at colleges.

i have a friend that lives in the dorm room next to me named nicole. she is a business major with an emphasis on cinema, and she had to make a short video biography for one of her classes. she was nice enough to make a biography on me! i just posted it on youtube and it would be so cool if you could watch it and let me know what you think. in it, i basically talk about my musical journey...how i started out shy and slowly began revealing my music to the rest of the world. just go to my youtube channel to check it out (OliviaMitchellMusic)

something else cool that happened recently was going to the VMA's! i went with a friend from USC. we got to film justin bieber promo commericals (we were in the pack of girls chasing justin's car in the promos!), be at the white carpet and see all the celebrities walk by, and be in the front row of the pit for the kanye performance! if you youtube the kanye performance, if you look carefully, you should be able to see me. i will post a picture in the photo section. at one point when we were getting ready to go in the pit, justin timberlake walked right by us and did a little dance. usher walked by too. it was so cool! going to the VMA's was such a great experience!

anyway, just wanted to give you all a little update on my life. feel free to shoot me a message sometime..i'd love to hear from you!

-olivia

 Posted on Aug 29, 2010 at 12:00 AM

hey guys,

sorry i haven't posted in a while. i just moved into college so i've been really busy! i'm at USC (Southern Cal) and i really like it. it's very far from my home in north carolina but LA is awesome! i went to venice beach today :) also, i just made hard copies of my first CD and they came this week, so i'm super excited! if want to buy a copy, send me a message and i can work out a way to ship you one. they will sell for 10-12 dollars plus shipping. i think they look pretty good and i really like the songs so i hope you'll get one! :) well i have to go do some homework (yuck) but i just thought i'd tell you all what's going on. hope you have a good day!

-olivia

 Posted on Aug 10, 2010 at 05:17 PM

hey guys,

you know the video i was talking about a couple blog entries back? it's posted on youtube! i'm so excited. you'll be able to see me in the studio recording my demo cd! the video was edited by the incredibly talented joseph bolz. take a look and let me know what you think!

-olivia

 Posted on Aug 02, 2010 at 02:43 AM

hey everyone,

i'm so excited cause...........(drumroll).......... i just started this domain, oliviamitchellmusic.com!! it would be AWESOME if you could send it to your friends and maybe even leave me a guestbook comment since i don't have any yet haha.

i'm also excited cause i'm in the process of getting CDs made! i've been wanting to do this for so long so i am extremely pumped to get them. there will be ten songs on the album in this order:

1) Quarantined
2) Tears Away
3) That Song Is Love
4) Hello Hollywood
5) If Only
6) High School Sweatshirt
7) Closeness
8) Goodnight
9) 13
10) Too Late

i will let you all know when the CDs are done so you can order them if you want. i hope you guys will get a copy cause i wrote every song on the album and i'm really proud of all of them. i also designed the CDs on photoshop myself, to make sure they look exactly how i want.

anyway, hope you have a great day and i'll do my best to keep you filled in on everything :)

-olivia

 Posted on Jul 18, 2010 at 03:34 PM

hey guys,

just wanted to let you know two things:

one, my songs are now for sale!!! you can buy them in my reverbstore! once you buy them, you will receive an email with a confirmation link which enables you to receive the mp3s. i'm so excited and i really think you guys will like the songs, so i hope you'll at least buy one or two :)

second, as some of you may know, i went to Nashville in March to make my first demo CD. (the songs on the demo are the ones that i just put for sale.) anyway, while i was in the studios, i took some video footage of the recording process. one of my friends, Joseph Bolz--an amazingly talented filmmaker--is putting together a video of the recording process! it should be done by the end of the month, so keep a look out on my page cause i will post it there. i'm pumped for you guys to see it.

unfortunately i have to go clean my room now so i'm gonna wrap it up but i hope all of you have a great day :)

-olivia

 Posted on Jul 07, 2010 at 05:28 PM

hello everyone! this is my first blog entry ever...wow. well, it's going to start off well because i have some small pieces of good news:

1) I just got to 900 subscribers on my YouTube page (you should check it out at http://www.youtube.com/user/OliviaMitchellMusic)

2) I just got to number ONE on the Pop charts for Winston-Salem here on ReverbNation! woohoo

hopefully good things will keep happening :)

but anyway, i also just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has become a fan and joined my mailing list! you guys are seriously the best. i love hearing from you so always feel free to shoot me a message. i'm currently working on making my music available for purchase so keep checking my page! talk to you all later

-Olivia