Words written by Olivia Castriota…
Singing to a massive audience at the ripe age of 13 ignited a fire within me that I couldn’t ignore. And by massive audience I mean the magazine posters that covered my bedroom walls from floor to ceiling. I imagined their claps and cheers as I belt songs into hairbrush. Little did I know, all those magazine cut outs taped to my walls would eventually evolve to live audiences.
Identifying as a pop soul artist, my music ranges from empowering anthems to “you’ve wronged me, now hear me roar” bangers. Only a few times in my career have I shown pieces of myself that were less confident and more vulnerable. In the spirit of looking inwards and learning more about myself, I’ve embarked on a journey, a journey to dig a little deeper.
My extreme vulnerability takes a front seat in my newly released project, ‘Fixed’. It all started with an emotional 45-minute phone call. I normally don’t open up about such personal feelings, but that day was different. I couldn’t mask it any longer. I came off of airplane mode to speak about the internal waves of sadness, fatigue, anxiety, and nervousness that overwhelmed me as the person on the other end bluntly uttered ‘we need to get you fixed.’
It was that call that inspired me to get more raw and real in my songwriting, in an effort to understand and process my own emotions. ‘Fixed,’ encompasses every thought and feeling I’ve wanted to bring forward but never felt quite comfortable divulging. Given the heavy content matter, the lyrics can be difficult to listen to particularly for those who’ve only known me to be a happy human. However hard to talk about, there is importance behind the unveiling. For that reason, I am opening the discussion in my own life starting with this song. I’m turning my vulnerability into my strength. With all the amazing resources available today, there’s never been a better time to talk about mental health. I wish to open the conversation even more, the best way I know how – through music.
Check out my new music video ‘Fixed’ on YouTube and let’s make a conscious effort to keep discussing mental health!
