Interviews

Olivia: The Queen Of G-Unit

Thursday - June 16, 2005

Jessica Koslow

After a short stint and one record released at J Records, Olivia couldn't be happier with her new boss: 50 Cent . As the first lady of G-Unit readies to drop her much-anticipated CD, Behind Closed Doors this June, she shares how Clive Davis discovered her, what's up G-Unit Lingerie and why she's better than the rest. Judging by the sound of her party single “Twisted” featuring Lloyd Banks , this Brooklyn-born, Jamaican-bred, Queens dweller is about to set the game “On Fire.”

Would you categorize your album as R&B?
I wouldn't even categorize it. I have a reggae record on there featuring Cecile from Jamaica. On my whole album, the vibe is intimate. It's a real sensual album. It's a variety. I love that I can be so diverse and I don't have to stick myself in one niche.

Who are some of the producers you worked with?
I wanted to utilize a lot of new producers on this album. Of course, I have Dr. Dre on there. He did a record called “If It Don't Work Out.” Robert Smith , Brandy 's ex did “Never Too Far.” Bryan Cox , “Lonely Girl,” Walter Milsap , “So Sexy,” Jelly Roll , J.R. and Sha Money XL , President Of G-Unit Records.

What are some of the things you talk about?
On “Earth, Fire and Wind,” instead of telling a guy I love you because you're so cute, I'm telling him you're my earth, fire and wind. I got intellectual on that record. I went totally left. “Never Too Far,” no matter where I'm at you can pick up the phone and I'm always going to answer for you. “Lonely Girl,” nobody wants to be alone. I want to find somebody to love and when I do, I'm going to love him like this.

How many songs did you record?
I recorded over 60. We got it narrowed down to 20. 50 said we got to cut it down some more. Then to 16 and now it's at 15.

How do you pick what songs make the cut?
It's just me and 50 . I love that. At J Records, I couldn't pick my records. They did what they wanted because they figured since I was a brand new artist, I didn't know what I was talking about. Of course, they were wrong, and I'm in a better situation now. I get to be more independent instead of dependent. I don't have anybody over my back telling me what direction to go in. It's total freedom. I wrote 13 out of the 15 records on my own.

How will you stand out from the rest of the R&B girls?
I'm definitely set apart. When I first came out singing the “Bizounce” record, nobody was doing that. What R&B girl is going to do that? Then I had another record on there called, “Silly Bitch In Love.” I already had my own niche that I made for myself. I definitely didn't sound like anybody else. One thing I didn't like was being that I had to make those records, most people didn't know I could sing. When I went to shows I would sing acapella at the end. I would sing “His Eyes On The Sparrow.” With this album, you'll hear the difference from where I was then [on her first album] to where I am now. I still have the same content. The other girls aren't singing about that. I'm totally set apart. But most people will compare you regardless. We're all are fair-skinned and have blond hair. But I'm the only one with real blond hair. I don't wear fake hair. I sing. I dance. I play the guitar and the piano. I'm very diversified. I rap also. I did that on my first album, but I opted not to do that on my second album.

How'd you get into singing?
I was born in Brooklyn, and moved to Jamaica as a newborn. My grandparents are West Indian, Jamaican and Cuban. I went to Jamaica with my mom's grandparents until she got everything settled. Then I came to the States when I was eight. I moved to Queens, where I reside now. When I was 14 or 15, I realized I wanted to be a singer. My first cousin, who's also my manager -- Chris Lighty at Violator is also my manager, he would take me to studios. That was a good learning process. I knew what type of mic to use. I went to Hofstra University and Five Towns, which is a music school. I would go to classes Monday, Wednesday, Friday and on Tuesday and Thursday, I would try to fit in the music. I took audio, opera singing, music business. At Hofstra, I did law and psychology. I was going to finish school, but when Clive Davis came at me with the deal, I left. I'm pleased where I'm at now because nobody can say they had their start with Clive Davis at the top.

Yup. How did you hook up with Clive?
I had a production deal with Joshua Thompson . His management told me they were looking for new artists because Clive was leaving Arista about to start J Records. I gave them three songs. A week later, I was told Clive wanted to have a meeting with me at his apartment. He was real regal. He's soft-spoken. For me, it was a funny experience. He asked me to sing. I sang the gospel song “His Eyes On The Sparrow.” I blew him away. When I first came out, it was Alicia Keys , me and Jimmy Cozier and he had to put us in different routes. We all had to do something different. I had to go the bad girl with the attitude route, Alicia went the good girl that played the piano and Jimmy went bad boy, rude boy. That's what we had to do. The company gave us the money. It didn't work the way I wanted it to because it wasn't me. But I'm thankful I got my start there because if I didn't meet Clive Davis , I wouldn't have met Jimmy Iovine at Interscope and then signed to G-Unit. I stayed at the top. Nobody goes from Clive to something better and then something better. 50 sold 11 million records. His first week he just did 1.4. Who does that? And he's still humble. He's the best boss ever.

So how did you go from Interscope to G-Unit?
50 heard my stuff when I got to Interscope. He called me. He told me he thought J Records messed up, that they didn't know what they had and he asked me to be the first lady. I was so shocked because it was 50 . Then I was nervous because I didn't know how I'd fit in with four guys. If they're in a room talking, and I walk in, they'll stop cursing. That's so respectful. They're all great guys and they all have such different personalities. 50 is just the head who holds everything together. The cool one. He never gets upset. If he's upset, you won't know. Banks is just the playboy. He thinks he's God's gift to women. Buck and Yayo , you never know what to expect from them. They're so high energy. Buck is all over the place and Yayo is just so happy to be home. Then I bring the sexiness element. Now I get to speak from the lady's point of view. We all fit. We're all from Queens. I was always the girl that hung around all guys. I have two brothers. I watch basketball and football all the time. It works well for me.

Do you have fun in the studio?
We have a ball. All of them are so high energy. I can't lose being around them.

Have you had to tour with all guys yet?
I was on 50 's promo tour. We actually just got back from Europe. We did Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Milan. We did so many places. The response was so crazy. I got as many yells and screams as 50 did. I didn't know I touched that many people. I had a “Cloud Nine” record out and 50 was on it. We just threw it out. In London, it's #1. For them to acknowledge me like that, and they all had my first album. I don't really blame it on J Records, I say it wasn't my time.

What's the best show you did?
In Milan. It was their version of TRL. It's the only show we had in the streets. We pull up and there are over 2,000 people in a spot. We got out and they were chanting our names. It was wild to see how big hip-hop is in Italy. The response from everybody was amazing. They don't even speak English but they knew every word to the song. We didn't even have to sing “Candy Shop.” It's a good feeling to know that you're making them happy, while you're making yourself happy because you're sharing your music with them.

What did you learn from the J Records deal?
I should always listen to my gut feeling. I couldn't do it then because they were the ones in charge. At G-Unit, 50 doesn't say I have to do anything. J records didn't want to listen to me. They thought they knew everything. The G-Unit staff, everybody helps everybody. They all want everybody to win. Everybody on G-Unit, we're all solo artists and we're all hot. You can't say that about any group.

Does 50 help you to be a better business person?
50 doesn't force feed anybody anything. But don't ever say you can't. He doesn't want to hear that. I don't either.

What's next?
I want to go wherever this life takes me. I would act. I'm a natural actor. But I want to be a singer first. When it comes time, I'll act as well. I'm not rushing into anything. I have a few artists I'm working with now. I always help others because I know when I was in that position, I was grateful to have someone else help me.

Do you have input in the G-Unit Lady clothing line?
They always call me when there are new styles. We'll talk materials, buttons. I'm actually going to do the G-Unit Lingerie line. Collectively, G-Unit is a great brand. 50 is very hands on. He is adamant about making everything work. He won't accept losing.

You seem very grounded. What keeps you so together?
My parents. They've bee together for 30 years. They're the backbone for everything. I could party as long as I kept my grades up. My mom kept me in church since I was 4. My father is Catholic and my mother is Christian so I would go to two services on Sunday. I still talk to my pastor to this day. My friends, I have the best girlfriends in the world.

There have already been rumors about who you are dating. Any comment?
I feel like personal life is separate from business. I wouldn't tell anybody who I was dating or who I was with even if I was with somebody. You have to keep something sacred to yourself. They can't know everything. I think that's where most artists mess up. It's OK to love somebody but you don't have to broadcast it to the world, because then when you break up, you look like the asshole.