Birmingham Stages: Growing up in a musical household, how did that help shape your view on music now?

Olivia Evans: It was not much of a household because growing up I spent most of my time before school started on a tour bus. A majority of my childhood I was on tour with my mom. The members of her band were like a family to me. This was very good for me because I getting to experience what my potential career was going to be like at a young age.

Birmingham Stages: Have you worked with any teachers for music that have had an influence on you?

Evans: I have had three piano teachers, the first one had the biggest influence on me because he taught me all of the basics which has helped me excel to being a better piano player. But I am now taking from my elementary school music teacher.

Birmingham Stages: Knowing you have spent time in Nashville and Los Angeles, how do the music scenes there compare to the scene in Birmingham?

Evans: Having lived in Nashville until the age of five, I was constantly around live music. My mom liked going to listen to different kinds of live music some nights in downtown Nashville. Nashville has a far larger variety of music, as well as being the home of country music in America. Los Angeles has a larger variety than Nashville because of the larger amount of people. In one place you might have bluegrass, and in another there might be a rapper.

Birmingham Stages: How do you put passion into a song you have performed over and over and over?

Evans: When songs are played live I like to almost feel what the audience is feeling. Give the audience what they give to you. If the audience seems bored that probably means more effort needs to be given. But when comes to the actual song, I like to change little things about to make unique so the song is not completely the same every time.

Birmingham Stages: What artist or artists have had the biggest influence on you as a singer?

Evans: My mom has had a very large influence on me as a singer because I do not think I would be a singer without her. Although, in her opinion, she does not think her mother’s voice and her voice sound alike at all. But one other artist, Beyoncé, because I spend hours and hours on things that Beyoncé can just get instantly and that is something that I really wish I could do. But, some other artists that I like to listen to and have influenced me as a singer are Tracy Chapman and Alison Krauss.

Birmingham Stages: Do you write some of your own pieces of music? If so, how does that process usually work for you?

Evans: Yes, I do. The process usually starts with an experience and then the lyrics come almost instantly and I type them into my notes on my phone as quickly as I can. My lyrics as a whole need to mature before I start recording them, but the process as a whole is not very long.

Birmingham Stages: Have you had any other collaboration with musicians? If so, who?

Evans: I was a member of (local band) Riverbend early on, but ended up leaving after about 6 months. I am currently in the band Rug Monkey. I have recorded and performed with my mom at times. I have done several duets with friends as well as done a gig at a wedding rehearsal with my brother.

Birmingham Stages: How do you see your career going going forward?

Evans: I see myself being homeschooled by eleventh grade so I can have more time to travel and record. My brother will hopefully be moving Nashville and I would like to move to Nashville or Los Angeles at some point. I am not against college, but if I were to go I definitely go to a music college like Belmont or Berklee. But my mom did not go to college and neither is my brother, so not going to college for music is not uncommon in my family.

Birmingham Stages: What genre of music do you see yourself pursuing?

Evans: I do not like country music at all or see myself in a singing country music for a living. One of the reasons for this is because I do not think females are taken very seriously. I feel like women are seen as objects and are not as popular because they do not sing about beer, jeans, and trucks. I am completely open to any other types of music.

Advice: To never shut yourself off from any type of music. This does not mean you have to love it. Also do not try too hard to be successful, make the music you love do not just make music for the fame. Make the music so it makes you feel accomplished, proud and satisfied.

Carey Hereford is a sophomore at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He is self- taught in the guitar, mandolin and ukulele. Carey is passionate about all things music and does not discriminate against any style or form of music. Currently, he would tell you his favorite artists range from Muse to Jason Isbell. This piece is the first in a series of interviews with artists that Carey believes are making an impact on the current music scene and should be on all music aficionados’ radars.