Calgary Blues/Folk Singer Ollee Owens Heats Up with Sizzling New Video for “Shivers and Butterflies”
Reminiscing about the past can be a blast, particularly if the one you were with back then is still the same partner you’re looking back with now. For Calgary-based blues and Americana singer Ollee Owens, that reflection is captured perfectly in her fantastic new music video for “Shivers and Butterflies.”
The song, from her 2024 chart-topping album Nowhere To Hide, was inspired by Owens and her “guy” for the past 25 years discussing the early days of their relationship. From reflecting on the nerves or jitters both had before their first date to the “silly things we did to impress each other back then.”
The video, directed by Travis Nesbitt (who’s directed videos for Royal Tusk, Brett Kissel, and Dallas Smith, among others), was culled from footage of Owens and her other half making the most of a summer day in and around Victoria, British Columbia. Nesbitt, who previously worked with Owens on a music video for “Some Days” and a short film for “O Holy Night,” records Owens initially singing portions of “Shivers and Butterflies” in a Silver Streak camper. From there, the couple is captured sauntering around Victoria’s Fisherman’s Wharf, taking in the sights and eats. After riding on a bicycle built for two and visiting a petting zoo, the duo ends the fun-filled day cuddled up in front of a cozy fire on the shoreline.
“Our goal was to capture a lighthearted, fun day out together by the ocean,” Owens says of the “Shivers and Butterflies” video. “I hope it brings a smile to your face as you watch — it sure does to mine! After all these years — and the wild ride it’s been — these same feelings still flit and flutter to the surface from time to time…and this song holds relevance today in middle age as it did when we were young.”
“Shivers and Butterflies,” co-written by Owens and Kornelius Colyn, was recorded at Nashville’s Sweetbriar Studio and produced by Bobby Blazier (who plays drums on the track). Aside from Owens on lead vocals, the song features guitarist Chris Rodriguez, bassist Tommy Sims, keyboardist De Marco Johnson, and backing vocalists Gene Miller and Joey Richey.
The video for “Shivers and Butterflies” is the latest highlight in what has been a mammoth and momentous few months for Owens and Nowhere To Hide. The album has spent 13 consecutive weeks in the Roots Music Report Canadian Chart’s Top 10, including three weeks topping the chart. Nowhere To Hide also has cracked the Top 10 on RMR’s Top 50 Blues Album Chart (#8) and Top 50 Soul Blues Album Chart (#2).
Raised in the small farming community of New Bothwell, Manitoba, Owens started writing songs when she was eight and was playing guitar four years later. Inspired by a myriad of influences, including Elvis, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Mahalia Jackson, among others, Owens put her musical career on hold and took a hiatus to raise her three daughters, one of whom has a cognitive disability. She returned to music a decade ago, releasing Cannot Be Unheard in 2022.
Owens’ music has been heard internationally on radio stations in Brazil, Australia, and Europe. And she’s shared billing with Dawn Tyler Watson and Matt Andersen at the Roots Blues and BBQ Festival in Drumheller, Alberta. Recently, Owens has received critical acclaim in outlets such as British publication Blues Matters, Blues Music Magazine, and Americana Highways, which described Nowhere To Hide as “one of the strongest surprises of 2024.” In January 2025, Owens performed at the iconic B.B. King’s Blues Club in Memphis.
Now with an honest and engaging music video for “Shivers and Butterflies,” Ollee Owens is keeping the home fires burning while continuing to burn up the charts.
Hi Ollee! So good to see you again – how’s your year starting so far?
Well, considering I am still alive while residing in Canada at the harshest time of winter…things are looking up!
Usually, the first few months of the year are quiet, however, we kicked things off at the top of January in Memphis at IBC week with an invitation to showcase at BB Kings Club. It was a great week of connecting with many artists and industry people from all over the world! In mid-Januar,y we released a new music video for “Shivers and Butterflies”, which is receiving quite a bit of love and attention so far! I am now in the thick of booking gigs and festivals for 2025 and, of course, using this “downtime” to prepare for upcoming shows.
“Shivers and Butterflies” captures a nostalgic look at the early days of your relationship—what was the moment that sparked the idea to turn this into a song?
It was the evening before our 25th wedding anniversary, and we were reminiscing about the time when we first started dating. While struggling to recollect and agree on all the details, we were both brought to a place of smiling and laughing as we remembered all the excitement and nervous energy during that time. Kor made a joking comment summarizing that time as being all “Shivers and Butterflies”. At that moment, he said: “We should write a song with that title!” I rolled my eyes thinking the terminology was a little out there – but he insisted. Not wanting to waste a moment of affectionate inspiration, we got to work right away in and wrote this unexpected “lovey-dovey” song together – lol!
You mention that the song’s feelings are just as relevant now as they were in the early days of your relationship—how has love evolved for you over the years, and what’s the secret?
To everything there is a season…and we have passed through many seasons together in our relationship. In the course of a year or a few months (or even a day – yikes!) things can switch from Spring to Summer to Fall to Winter and back to Spring. We’ve seen a few Winters…some cold, hard, lonely times where we weren’t getting along amidst personal growth opportunities and challenging external circumstances. In our definition of love, the word “commitment” takes priority over all other notions. We’ve had a silly routine that expresses this – where we give each other the ring finger (mimicking giving each other the “bird”) saying “I feel nothing positive for you right now, but I remain committed”. It’s that commitment to commitment that has seen us weather some difficult storms together…and has allowed us to return, and re-return, to Spring-like conditions in our relationship. More than remaining ridiculously committed… offering space, while extending grace, as we both stumble along on our own pathway of development has proven to accessorize our pragmatic commitment with some very lovely feelings for each other!
With “Shivers and Butterflies” becoming such a success alongside the momentum of Nowhere To Hide, what goes through your mind when you hit hundreds of thousands of views within days of releasing it?
I think it’s great the video is resonating with people… we knowingly took a risk in choosing to depict the weather-worn love between a middle-aged couple hanging out in a terribly normal and vulnerable way. We wanted to be filmed being ourselves – to celebrate this milestone in our commitment to each other. I suppose some might appreciate what is seen here in that it reflects something in line with their experience. Maybe it is just one of those videos that causes people to blush with embarrassment on our behalf!? We hope that the authentic nature of it brings a smile and, ultimately, that it inspires and encourages loving tenacity for those out there who might not quite be feeling the “Shivers and Butterflies” at this moment in their relationship.
Now that you’ve released this video and had such a big start to 2025, what’s next for you? Are there more videos, collaborations, or performances in the works?
I am excited to get on the road this year and am currently filling up the calendar with a wide variety of performance dates – be sure to check out my website for where I am playing next. I want to take this project further and beyond – and look forward to connecting with more people and communities. I am ready to come your way and look forward to sharing these new songs with you in person! In regard to new songs and videos, I am always writing and creating…and have lots of other interesting things in the works and sitting on the backburner…keeping warm and ready to serve up when the time is right!