American songstress Olivia Somerlyn was recently in the UK and Pressparty caught up with the 21-year-old beauty on her final day in London to talk about touring in support of Meghan Trainor, collaborating with hitmaker Nick Jonas, and her impressive and exciting career to date. 

Somerlyn co-wrote her debut single 'Parachute' with Nick Jonas and is also managed by his father, and opened up about what it was like to get into the studio with the 'Jealous' heartthrob.

How did the creative collaboration with Nick Jonas come about?

I was a really big fan and I remember being in the audience or listening to their music and thinking about how much I wanted to write a song with him because he’s such a talented musician. I know he was the one who spearheaded most of the Jonas Brothers' writing in their band and on their albums… that was one of my biggest goals – to write with him – because he’s a huge musical influence for me. When I started coming to LA to work on my music, I started running into the Jonas family and it sort of felt like fate because we ran into each other so many times. I didn’t want to say I was a musician because I didn’t want to impose or be an annoyance, so one day I ran into them at a recording studio and it all sort of came out in the open that way.

Their dad, who was also their manager and now manages them individually, said he wanted to come see me at a rehearsal so he stopped by and said, "I can really see how this would work and I really want to manage you," and we started working together. He introduced me to different writers and producers and from there, we started putting a team together. I would talk with Nick about possibly writing together, but he has such a busy schedule. Finally, we were able to make it happen and I was so, so excited to do it. He was so great and the day went so well. We were in the studio all day and night, but by the end of it the song was finished – it was amazing. It was such a quick timeline. 

What was the creative process like for writing 'Parachute' with Nick Jonas?

I had some concepts in my head and ‘Parachute’ was my favourite of the things I had to share… I was pretty nervous and wasn’t sure if I was going to mention it. I sort of wanted to see what he wanted to do with it. He started humming this melody and he was singing the track, and it instantly felt like ‘Parachute’. He really liked it and it just flowed well from there.

So I came in [to the studio] and he was working on a track, and then we were talking about concepts and he was humming melodies... it just felt like ‘Parachute’ and I could hear the words… from there it flowed really quickly. 

What do you think of Nick Jonas’ transition from childhood Disney star to serious solo artist? 

He’s so amazing at whatever he does and he’s such a talented writer… It’s just cool to see his style evolve. I’ve always thought he was great and whatever he’s working on always sounds great. I love his new music, especially ‘Chains’. I really love that song. I love ‘Jealous’, too, but I really love ‘Chains’. The same person who directed his two music video directed my music video for ‘Parachute’. It was really, really fun for me to see that all happen! 

Tell us about your music video for 'Parachute' - how involved were you and did you have a vision for it?

I had a vision, yeah, and I was very hands-on… very, very hands-on. I’m a perfectionist and I need to be involved in every little detail as I know exactly what I want to portray, and I’m always imagining music videos when I’m writing each song. I’ve never been able to do a music video before so I was really excited to do this one… especially for a song that was as visual as ‘Parachute’. I even designed what I wore – I was that picky! I did my own stunts, which was really scary but necessary… at the end when I’m grabbing the parachute and letting it go… I remember all the stunt people - it was the end of the day, we were losing the light and I was really freaked out that we weren’t going to get that shot that makes the video make sense – they were all saying it was too dangerous, that the wind was too strong and they wanted to use a fan because I might have blown away… but I said, "step aside, this is my baby," and I don’t know how I’m still alive… but somehow I was a lot stronger in that moment than I usually am!

You started songwriting at just 13-years-old, which is impressive. How did your love affair with music begin? 

I don’t come from a musical family – my parents are more visual. I’ve just always been really interested in it and remember being really young and wondering how people sit down to write songs. I would go to concerts and realise these people were just like me but were getting to do this for their jobs! I wanted to do that too. My mom would say that I’d always make up songs and perform musical numbers in my room… it’s just been something I’ve always wanted to do.

Are there any themes that you tend to gravitate towards when you write songs? 

It’s actually funny you’d ask that because we were just talking the other day while on tour – my team and I, we are having so much fun on the road - about our favourite Meghan Trainor songs because we watch her set every day. I was listing my favourites and they pointed out that they all had the same theme and they also have the same themes as some of my own songs! I was laughing because I enjoy writing songs like ‘Parachute’, which are empowering, like ‘I don’t need a man,' you know? I don’t know where that comes from, but I want to empower people and create positive, strong music. I guess I want to write positive, strong and empowering music. A lot of times I write songs from personal stories and I never want to be mean or vindictive, or to make people feel bad, but I want to take that storyline and make it empowering and about the fact that you don’t need another person to make you feel good about yourself.

You've recently been touring in support of Meghan Trainor. How is that going and have you been able to spend time with her on the road?

It’s so much fun, I think she’s so incredible. She’s such a talented performer and I love watching her show – it’s so much fun. She’s so nice and so is her team, and she has been so welcoming and supportive. I was sick for the first few days of the tour and I didn’t want to go near her because I didn’t want to risk getting her sick, but she was texting me all the time to make sure I was feeling OK! She’s so sweet. She brought me on stage in Amsterdam and then in Milan, and it was actually my 21st birthday that day (see picture below from Somerlyn's Instagram page)… she had a cake and sang me 'Happy Birthday' and everything!

She’s always listing names of people I should work with and has been so supportive and encouraging, too! She's really complimentary, which means so much to me, and watches my soundcheck every night. That’s just a huge compliment in itself.

Meghan Trainor is a great advocate for self-acceptance and self-love, but do you have any advice about how to be the best version of yourself and to be confident? 

I think my advice is just that you can’t look around and compare yourself to others. You have to compare yourself to yourself and work on being the best that you can be. Everybody’s different, but differences are what make people special and amazing. They’re things to celebrate rather than to give yourself a hard time about.

What’s next for you? 

We head straight to New York and start a U.S. tour with Lindsey Stirling…also Karmin and Echosmith will be joining at different points. That’s going to be really, really fun. I toured with Karmin a little bit before because they toured with the Jonas Brothers when I opened for them, so it’ll be great to see them again.

Are you currently working on an album? 

Well, I have a lot of music that I’ve been playing on the Meghan Trainor tour and that will be on an EP or album, and I can’t wait to release that soon. I have a new single that’s coming very soon, which I’m really excited to share. It’s a really fun song to perform live and I get loads of tweets about it, which makes me feel as though I’ve made the right decision about releasing it!

You have a strong online following, but do you think social media is helpful or harmful?

They’re really incredible. I feel like I have tonnes of friends, which is great! I think it can be both, depending on how you handle it. I think it’s more helpful than harmful, if you use it wisely… but I think it can also be a hindrance in your personal life as I sometimes catch myself spending more time interacting with the people on my Twitter rather than the people I’m with!!! As a way to connect with fans, it’s a a really special thing that this generation musicians has!

Would you like to collaborate with Meghan Trainor in the future? 

I would absolutely love that… it would be incredible. We have become good friends and I really love her. Hopefully that’ll lead to working with her in the future or at least spending more time together!

Watch Olivia's stunning music video for 'Parachute' here: