Beren Olivia

Beren Olivia is here to stay. After taking a step back to really look at her surroundings and what she wants to say, the British singer-songwriter is returning stronger, more confident and more in tune with her true values and voice. Now, she’s forging down a path of powerful intention, paved by five potent songs on her upcoming EP that drive the lessons she’s learned home. “I was just finding my boundaries and myself,” she explains, now on the other side of this metamorphic period and ready to take on the world again. “It all needed to happen because I feel really solid – it was like a breakdown to rebuild thing.”

Prior to this embrace of change, the 22-year-old had made a name for herself as a rising talent to be reckoned with. A self-described “headphones kid”, growing up, she found music transported her into new worlds and helped her address thoughts and feelings she otherwise might not have. Combining her love of writing and poetry (“I’d be writing poems during chemistry class and getting sent to detention,” she laughs) and self-taught guitar skills inspired by Taylor Swift, she started putting together her own songs around the age of 16.

When she started sharing those tracks online, the world listened. In the three years since she released her debut single, she’s garnered praise from MTV, Radio 1, Clash, Dork, and many others and secured support slots with the likes of Dylan and her childhood hero, P!nk. The reason? Her ability to craft relatable alt-pop that makes you feel seen and less alone.

The stories in those early songs, though, came not from Beren Olivia’s own experiences but from the people around her. After her recent life shake-up, that’s all changed. Her searing second EP is the most personal music she’s ever shared, candidly exploring different struggles she’s tried to push away in the past. “It’s like I’ve flipped a switch,” she says, pointing to a new attitude of honesty and directness in her communication with others. “I’ve gotten to a place in my music now as well where, for me, there’s no point if what you’re saying isn’t fully coming from you.”

Over five tracks, the EP faces up to things she’s previously been scared to address, setting each to rock-leaning, hook-filled anthems that pull from the powerful, stadium-sized playbook of Halsey and Kings Of Leon. The record began life with the surging, instantly memorable anthemics of ‘Wake Me Up’, an unflinching admission of needing help to get out of a pit of depression. “It was the first time where I had no filter,” Beren says. “I’m gonna say I need you to help me and pull me out. I’ve been fighting this, and I can’t get out of it.”

That courageous first step helped shape the tracks that form the rest of the record, too. ‘Drown It In Grey’, a grungy, cathartic juggernaut you can’t help but get swept away by, finds the star existing in a numbing hinterland – nothing going particularly terribly, but not going amazingly either. “It’s a giving up song,” she explains, nodding to one of its nihilistic lines: “‘Cos everything’s so fucked up, living in a world that won’t live up / Yeah, we’re all just set up to lose.” “The world is so messed up for people my age nowadays; it’s like, what’s the point? I’d rather just drown it in grey – we’re just existing in the middle.” ‘Almost’, meanwhile, tackles self-sabotage in a cathartic eruption of sound.

Not everything on the EP is so dark. ‘I Feel Like Talking’ captures a night out with Beren’s brother and his bandmates where they opened up with each other like never before, its ‘80s pop undercurrent exploding into a fuzzy chorus celebrating these moments of connection and community. ‘She’ll Be Dancing’, meanwhile, pays tribute to evenings spent dancing through hard times and humans’ ability to find a way through the obstacles life hurls at us, Beren taking a lighter approach to showcasing the resilience that exists in the record. Even the EP’s heavier moments are underpinned by something brighter – sonics that sit in contrast to the subjects in the lyrics, thrumming with energy and driving their creator forward with infectious, upbeat buoyancy.

The EP might represent a shift in Beren’s lyrical approach, but sonically, it’s less of a grand departure and more of a natural evolution from her 2022 singles, like ‘Stranger On Fire’ and ‘Tomorrow’. She worked together with producer and writer Mezz across the record, enlisting the help of McFly’s Danny Jones and Dougie Poynter, Steve Battelle, Pale Waves’ Hugo Silvani, Sody, Hannah Yadi, and Will Vaughn to create something cohesive and utterly vital.

Just like music has helped Beren process and deal with the things she’s experienced so far in life, she hopes this EP will be there for others. “I think people are still nervous to talk about mental health openly, so I just want this to be an outlet for them,” she says. “I want people to see me as a good friend and to be an advocate for mental health.” With this new record, Beren Olivia isn’t just levelling up her artistry but using her own struggles to leave a positive impact on the world, in stunning, incisive form.