Harley Olivia’s New Single “Diggin’” Opens a Reflective Lens on Toxic Relationships
Before Ontario-based artist Harley Olivia embarked on a solo career, her efforts intertwined with several heavy-metal and punk bands. Harley performed in crowd-pleasing acts filled with clowns, confetti, and anything else commonly found in a pop-up circus tent. But while she was leading audiences in balloon sword battles, she leaned into her fascination for a solo project that dug straight into what she wished her music could convey. And “Diggin’” is that result.
When Harley toured with the band Anthems In Ashes, the group was awarded first place in the Jack Daniels Supporting Act Competition. This was no small feat for the title. Still, this award also paved a clear path to work and companionship with JUNO Award-Winning Producer Siegfried Meier (Face to Face, Kittie, Sectorseven, Woods of Ypres).
Harley followed this friendship and soon found herself back in the studio with Siegfried to work on her new single “Diggin’,” who co-wrote and produced the tune.
“I wrote Diggin’ in response to a toxic ex who refused to listen to reason or reach any kind of settlement on the grounds that I broke their heart. As the battle raged on and the mess got bigger, I tortured myself until I discovered what was truly going on. They were playing the victim to make me suffer,” Harley said.
The three-minute track begins with a quiet keyboard opening up and culminates with a drum beat before Harley sings, “It’s crazy when the life you had suddenly changed.”
From the get-go, Harley’s dread-filled and anger-tinged voice bleeds through the record, conveying a story of anxiety and regret to the listener.
“Diggin’ was a way for me to take my power back without causing more drama in my personal life. Singing this song is a release, but in the best way! It’s dynamic and messy – just like a breakup, but its strong beat and punchy rhythm were what got me back on my feet and excited about writing and performing again.”
Siegfried and Harley collaborated on the break-up anthem during the early days of the COVID lockdown. The pair co-wrote the track at Beach Road Studios. The time spent reminiscing and reflecting on the toxic relationship shines through the song’s production.
Harley’s solid, deep rock voice transports us to this specific relationship, and we almost feel as if we are intruding on a personal moment. The emotions conjured while she “digs” through the past echo through the “I keep pushing harder and what I found would shock you all, I keep getting quicker, but I won’t stop it now” lyrics.
“Breakups are complicated. In my past, anytime I’ve broken up with someone, I’ve been judged or demonized for breaking their heart when staying in the relationship would have been much worse.”
This anger powers the tune found while Harley dug and dug to get to the root of the relationship’s problems. “They say, oh they say I am making a mistake,” she sings in a slow, teasing voice while the background electric guitar, drums, and keyboard knock on a metaphorical door. A door just out of reach exemplifies the inaccessibility of a toxic relationship.
Listen to“Diggin’” below and learn more about Harley Olivia via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Harley! I’m a flight attendant by day and a singer by night! I love all things music and especially love writing songs. I get to travel a lot, so I am always scoping out music scenes (and pastries!) in different countries. (The coolest was a rock show in Reykjavík, where I met some really wicked European bands.) I’ve also been studying voice for over ten years, and I teach vocal lessons online and in person!
Tell us about the process of writing Diggin’.
I wrote the vocal melody for Diggin’ over the course of a few days at Beach Road Studios. Then once I had a solid idea, I showed it to my producer and writing partner, Siegfried Meier. He could take what I had done and write the instrumentation you hear on the track. We both wanted to do something that had a modern edge and would get people moving but still stay true to our rock n’ roll roots. This meant adding some electronic sounds and synths but keeping real drums and guitars. We had a blast picking out synths and shaping our sound. Siegfried played all the instruments at Beach Road Studios, and he has this phenomenal tracking room where we recorded drums. It was exciting to build the song piece by piece from just a little voice note on my phone.
Tell us about working with Siegfried Meier, and how you meet him, and what’s the positive stuff working with him.
I met Siegfried while I was singing for my band Anthems In Ashes. We had just won the Jack Daniels Supporting Act Competition and chose Siegfried to record our debut EP with. We were so stoked to work with him since he had worked on Kittie and Face To Face records. Working with Siegfried is the best. He’s so encouraging but not afraid to challenge you, so I always feel like I’m a better songwriter after recording with him. He has ideas I would never think of and really heightens the stakes for each song.
Who is a not-miss Canadian artist to catch on tour?
I recently saw Mother Mother and Monowhales play together in London; it was an epic show! I remember seeing Monowhales years ago when they were still called Gingerale and the Monowhales at a local dive bar in Toronto, so it was inspiring to see how far they have come! Mother Mother is a Canadian legend. I catch them yearly, and I dance and cry at their shows!
You’ve been making music for while now. What’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
One thing that took me years to learn is that promoting myself as an artist and being proud of my work is not the same as boasting or bragging. If you don’t advocate for your work, no one will. A lot of artists – myself included – feel uncomfortable promoting ourselves because it feels weird pushing it online. Still, you have to remember that there are people out there who love your music and want to hear what you have to offer. In this saturated market, there’s a good chance your great song might not get heard, so you have to be an advocate for your work and help it reach listeners’ ears. I recommend searching online for artists within your genre and seeing how they have promoted their music to get an idea of what might work for you and then have fun with it. I was initially scared of TikTok, but now I enjoy coming up with silly, creative videos!
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