Olivia Profile

Biography

Olivia Longott was born on February 15, 1981, in Brooklyn, New York. Raised by a Cuban father and a Jamaican mother, Olivia spent her childhood singing whenever and wherever the opportunity presented itself, like in her local church choir. Singing has been in Olivia's blood since birth, something that's exemplified by her claim that she was named after pop star/actress Olivia Newton John. From a young age, Olivia impressed her family and friends by belting out Michael Jackson tunes with a preternatural sense of pitch and harmony.

olivia wants to sing

When not working on her voice, Olivia spent a lot of her free time writing poetry -- a practice that has undoubtedly led to her penchant for penning memorable lyrics. As luck would have it, Olivia had a cousin who worked in a recording studio and it was there that the tenacious teenager began learning the ins and outs of the music business.

Olivia's cousin proved to be an instrumental force in her development, going so far as to arrange lessons in guitar and piano (in addition to vocal coaching).

olivia joins j records

After she graduated from high school, Olivia began studying business at Hofstra University mostly for the benefit of her old-fashioned mother. But Olivia knew that music was in her future, and as such, she spent her evenings at Five Towns College studying music engineering and opera.

After a year of shuttling back and forth between the two schools, Olivia decided to drop out in order to dedicate herself 100% to her burgeoning music career. It didn't take long for Olivia to land a meeting with the legendary Clive Davis, who was interested in signing the young singer to his J Records label.

olivia releases her self-titled album

In 2001, Olivia released her self-titled debut on J Records -- an album that spawned the singles "Bizounce" and "Are U Capable." But the disc didn't make much of an impact on the over-saturated market, so in 2002, Olivia -- fearing that she wasn't getting the attention she deserved -- decided to leave the label.

This didn't stop the up-and-coming artist from continuing to record songs and tour, and after fielding offers from various labels, Olivia finally decided to sign with Interscope (a record label that artists like Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent call home).

olivia joins g-unit

Just a few short months after her Interscope deal was finalized, Olivia found herself on the receiving end of a phone call from none other than 50 Cent himself. 50 informed Olivia that he was a huge fan of her work, and offered her a spot on his infamous G-Unit crew as the first female member (an offer that Olivia couldn't refuse).

Shortly after, Olivia began popping up on various G-Unit releases, including Lloyd Banks' Smile and 50's The Massacre. Her G-Unit cronies returned the favor when it was time for Olivia to record her second solo effort -- Behind Closed Doors -- which features appearances from 50, Banks and Young Buck. The record fuses Olivia's various influences -- from reggae to Latin to soul -- and is sure to cement the songstress' reputation as the next Aaliyah or Queen Latifah.