A 22-year-old music student from Nottingham has spoken about her "amazing experience" on The Voice UK. All four judges turned around for her at the blind auditions - showing they were impressed by her.
Olivia Mason auditioned for The Voice UK last year with her vocals and spoken word poetry, and had judges Anne-Marie, Olly Murs, will.i.am and Tom Jones turn around. The singer, known as Lyvia Music, from Long Eaton, made it to the quarter-finals in Team Anne-Marie.
"The experience was amazing," she said. "It was one of the best things I've ever done for my confidence as a singer and an artist because singing in front of those judges was just like an insane concept anyway.
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"There's lots of different stages to get there off camera as well. There were a lot of things that pushed me out of my comfort zone, singing a lot of songs that I maybe wouldn't have chosen to sing.
"Even just the travelling to and from London on my own. Meeting lots of people and doing things on my own, that was a learning experience. Putting my voice out there, it was scary but one of the best things I've done. To get advice from Anne-Marie, who inspires me anyway, was just amazing."
Olivia performed Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack, which involved her own spoken word poetry. She said she always felt that music was an "escape" for her.
"When I was younger - a baby, a toddler - I think I was definitely musical but obviously you don't know what you want to do at that age," she said. "Then growing up in school and stuff, I always felt that music was a bit of an escape from everything else.
"It was the one thing that I found was easy compared to maths, science and all the stuff that I hate. I'd say I started to lean into it then, when I was at school.
"I didn't really start taking it seriously until the end of secondary school, when I realised that was where my heart was. And that was when it started to get more serious when I realised that this is something that I actually enjoy compared to other things that I found a lot harder."
Olivia started to take music more seriously at the ages of 17 and 18 when she posted videos online and started busking. Olivia would put herself out there everyday in a different city, busking on the streets. She then went to Nottingham Trent University to study music.
On busking, she said: "When I first started doing it I used to find it really nerve-racking. I never went on my own.
"I always went with some friends because I was too scared to do it on my own and now obviously I find it a lot easier to do it on my own. I still get nervous especially when I have crowds and stuff because you can't really prepare for it."
Soon after Olivia was approached by the Voice UK, which airs on ITV. She said: "Fast forward a little bit I did some shows and then I got approached by the Voice UK.
"They approached me which is cool - and I thought that was something I shouldn't pass on if it was literally knocking at my door, so I took that opportunity. Since then I've just been taking every opportunity that I can to get myself out there and get myself heard."
She added: "A lot of love is shown in Nottingham, especially since I've been on the Voice UK, whenever I have been busking. I have had a lot of love shown by the people there.
"It's really nice, it's a really good feeling. It's a buzz."
Olivia has now racked up more than 100,000 followers on TikTok from posting videos of herself singing. On February 10, she released her brand new single Invisible which was produced by 80p and Chewsday.
She said: "It's a nice full circle moment - from writing it to getting it all ready, then putting it out and people hearing it. Singing it at shows and people singing the words back is one of my favourite parts of it all.
"The song itself I started writing at home then took it to the studio where I do all of my music. I sat there with my two producers who are the most amazing people in the world - they go by 80p and Chewsday.
"I wrote the rest of it with them and they produced it for me. It's a very personal song and I'm happy that it's out in the world."
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