PSYCHE is a fresh and fun offering from emerging pop artist Olivia Royal. It provides a mixtape with 9 original tracks focusing on an exploration of the singer’s psyche through her three personas – Cassie, the brain, Isabela, the heart, and Yummy, the gut. This is a take on the girl group we have not quite seen before.
The songs are bouncy and fun, providing a closer look at Olivia’s ideas and the stories that different parts of her want to tell. Each member of the girl group has her own personality, desires, flaws, and her own story to tell through the three individual tracks on the mixtape. Splitting herself into three distinct characters, Olivia explores what her heart, gut, and brain have to tell her. The look and voice of each of the three are distinct and can get us thinking about the kind of characters we might have lurking around in our own minds. What can we learn if we listen to the heart or to the gut, or the brain? Who has the dominant voice? Who should we hear out more? What would our gut, heart, and brain look like and act like?
Her inspirations are as versatile as her approach to art. She loves RnB, pop, jazz, which her mother used to play, and more. In terms of themes, Olivia adores fantasy and mythology, psychology, and politics. Her interest in psychology is the one that is especially strongly reflected in PSYCHE with its original “intrapsychic” girl group concept. For Olivia, love is at the center of her work as a key force in the universe that doesn’t get the respect it deserves.
The mixtape provides a unique take on the girl group and showcases the artist’s many talents. From the skill in developing the narratives and introspective examinations of herself to the fun pop/RnB style, it is worth a listen. On her website, the artist provides further insight into each member of her girl group with art and information about each of them, which helps us learn more about Olivia herself too and consider what goes on inside our very own PSYCHE.
About Olivia Royal
Olivia Royal is primarily a singer, songwriter, and producer but takes on any skill necessary to realize her vision. Olivia’s sound is often crystallized into something between RnB and pop music, but she pulls inspiration from many sources. She strives to explore many different ideas within the context of a love song. Olivia hopes to create art that serves as a personal reminder of how she is connected to the universe and people worldwide.
You can check out her Instagram @oliviaroyal.art.