Wherever the Music Takes Her: Olivia Soli on Dreams and Self-Discovery
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Music12 October 2026
AuthorAlicia McKoy
PhotosCredit: Nick Whitmill
Finding your way home starts within. Singer-songwriter Olivia Soli talks about childhood influences, American Idol, and learning to find contentment in the pursuit of her dreams.
S
ome people spend years searching for the thing that makes them feel most like themselves. For Olivia Soli, that feeling arrived before she was old enough to understand it. At five, she was captivated by the voices of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. By 11, she was writing music of her own. From those early beginnings to reaching the Top 20 on American Idol, music has been more than a career for Soli. It has been a way of understanding who she is and learning that finding yourself matters just as much as chasing your dreams.
That sense of purpose, however, has not always come without doubt. At 15, Soli performed at Vibrato Grill & Jazz in Bel Air, a venue co-founded by musician Herb Alpert. Despite the significance of the opportunity, she recalls experiencing imposter syndrome and questioning whether she belonged in such a professional space at a young age. Since then, her career has continued to evolve, from competing on American Idol to performing the national anthem at the Kansas City Chiefs game, with each experience shaping her confidence as an artist.
But beyond the milestones, Soli’s relationship with music has become increasingly personal. Her latest single, “nyc-la”, explores the idea that changing your surroundings cannot necessarily resolve what is happening within. As she prepares to share more music with the world, she is learning to balance the ambition that drives her with the contentment she wants to find in the present.
Below, she talks about the artists who shaped her childhood, finding her identity through songwriting, and why the search for home might ultimately lead back to yourself.
You started performing at five and writing your own music at 11. What first drew you to music?
Olivia Soli (OS): At a young age, performing gave me a sense of identity and confidence. I grew up listening to and watching videos of performers like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, because that’s the kind of music my mum and dad would play for me. I was in such awe. When I gave it a try, it made me feel like I wasn't on this earth, and that's when I knew this was my calling. I never felt more like myself than when I was performing.
How have your life experiences shaped your songwriting?
OS: Big life milestones and hardships were what paved my artistry. It wasn't until I had to get real with myself because of hardships in my life that my songwriting changed.
Every trial and tribulation I was going through in my personal life, rather than taking away from my career, was actually helping it in a weird way.
How did American Idol change your understanding of yourself as an artist?
OS: It gave me an even bigger sense of confidence on stage. You go from performing in little venues to being on such a grand scale and being broadcast to the whole country, sometimes the whole world. It taught me stage presence, confidence and how to collaborate with other musicians.
It also taught me, “What do I have to say to the world? Who am I as an artist?” As the show progressed, I became more comfortable and had more to say to the public.
Your single “nyc-la” explores the idea that moving somewhere new cannot necessarily change how you feel inside. What inspired it?
OS: Living in New York and LA and bouncing back and forth, I was running away from my problems and thinking the city would change how I was feeling inside. But I finally sat down with myself and understood that this was a problem within myself.
Writing the song was therapeutic. Being able to share it with so many people is a form of therapy for me. It's always just gonna come back down to yourself, no matter how many things, materials, cities or distractions you have.
How do you find contentment while still pursuing your ambitions?
OS: Sometimes I struggle with feeling like, if my ambitions, dreams and goals aren't happening right now, I can't be happy. I always have to remind myself to come back to the present moment. What am I happy about today? What can I be grateful for today?
Contentment is being able to create music and perform, regardless of the success it gets, how viral you are or whether you're winning a Grammy tomorrow. Even performing for two people in the crowd genuinely makes me happy and content. Being with my family and friends is what really makes me the happiest.
What do you hope your artistry looks like in the future?
OS: Of course, I have dreams and ambitions, including wanting to win a Grammy one day. But no matter what my career looks like in 10 or 15 years, I think I'll always be happy just being an artist, even if I'm not the next Taylor Swift.
All I can do is put 110 per cent of myself into my music. I find peace and contentment in knowing that I'm doing what I love. Regardless of the outcome, as long as I'm performing nearly every day and making music for the rest of my life, I think I'll always be happy.
So while the pursuit of her dreams continues to take Olivia Soli to new stages and audiences, she is learning that success is not solely defined by how far she goes, but by what she discovers along the way. As she prepares to share more music with the world, her journey serves as a reminder that sometimes, the search for who we want to become begins with accepting who we are.
For Soli, perhaps finding home has never been about reaching a particular stage or city, but about knowing that wherever her music takes her, she is already becoming the artist she was always meant to be.
