FLINT, Michigan — The chances of making it in the music industry are slim, especially when you’re having your music heard in the epicenter of your genre, and subsequently have to pack up and leave. Yet, that’s what Flint native and promising Country artist Madison Olivia did.
After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in Political Science in 2019, Olivia relocated to Nashville to pursue her true passion in music. The inspiration behind her passion was, and still is, her grandmother Jolene, or as she lovingly refers to her as ‘Gran Gran.’
“When I was about 10, my Gran Gran opened for George Jones at Soaring Eagle,” said Olivia. “I was lucky enough to go to the show. Ever since then, I fell in love with music, performing, and wanting to make people feel the way my Gran Gran did.”
Olivia arrived in Nashville in the fall of 2019 and got a bartending job while preparing to network, write, and secure some studio time when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“I spent 2020 writing and getting some meetings on Zoom, but even when the city opened back up, I was performing to audiences that were two to a table and six feet apart. It wasn’t easy,” stated Olivia.
Once 2021 arrived, she was finally able to get some studio time, get her name out, perform, and find her sound — a sound she describes as soulful, or an 'R&B mixed with rock and country vibe.' Her career was looking up. Then the news in Dec. 2022 that the woman who inspired her music career, her Gran Gran, was diagnosed with dementia.
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Madison Olivia live on stage. (Courtesy photo)
That’s when Olivia decided to leave Nashville and move back to Flint. “I am her full-time caregiver now. And, when I’m performing locally, she comes to all of my shows when feeling up to it,” she said.
Olivia does get help from family so she can still get back to Nashville at least once a month for studio time where she still performs live.
She released her first single, '
Downtown Now,' in the summer of 2023. Her latest single, '
24/7,' dropped last month. She describes it as edgier than her releases from a year ago. Yet, she is still an independent artist which means everything from studio time to promoting her shows comes out of her own pocket.
“I’d love to be signed to a label and be a country music star, but it would have to be a label that believed in me,” said Olivia. “Especially in country music these days. You’re finding a lot of major label artists letting their contracts expire to become independent artists and have more freedom over their music,” she added. In the meantime, she continues to write and perform locally.
“This community has wrapped their arms around me and supported me in Flint. I’m so grateful for that,” said Olivia. She says that locally, she continues to be fulfilled by writing, recording, and performing the music she and Gran Gran love and that her growing audience can relate to.
Olivia’s latest single and full catalog can be found on Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify. A list of her upcoming local live dates can be found here. To stay connected, follow her on Instagram.
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