Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazzy Olivo.
Hi Jazzy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I’m a singer, songwriter, actor, born in the Dominican Republic. I started my career very early, my first performance was at 3 years old. But already way before that, I showed my interest in the arts of music. I performed locally and then started having appearances on numerous TV shows on the island. Then at 17 years old, I moved to SLC with my family. I did take a break from music during my teen years. Life was too rough and I think my focus was more on dealing with trauma than being creative.
So I thought, cause that hiatus help me get inspired to audition for the Spanish version of American Idol (LA Academia USA) awarded 6th place. After touring the USA for a year, I got to move to Mexico City and started my work for Broadway Mexico having stellar roles on Hairspray Mexico, Chicago, Aladdin, and other off-broadway shows. As much as I love theater, I wanted to let my intuitive talent decide my own compositions and create my own character. So I decided to move back home to SLC and focus on finding the right way to write my experiences and make them into melodies.
In collaboration with my Partner Courtney and Isaiah Smith, we created the entire Jazzy Olivo concept along with our jazz fusion band The Mix. The blend of our styles led us to perform in some of the most important music festivals in town and also open for different artists. Covid-19 took a lot of us and a lot of me. Surviving my partner, Courtney is something that created big changes still developing in my life.
Now, I collecting the pieces together to reveal all the beautiful meaningful music we worked on.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has been bumpy that’s for sure. I experienced trauma at a very early and fundamental age. The passing of my Dad at 9 years old has been one of the hardest experiences I had to go through, now adding the loss of the love of my life. I guess not having the support emotionally and mentally has been very difficult with my mental health. Perceptions and expectations have a big role too.
I’m proud of my resilience and my strength to be able to handle racial injustices, pretty much my entire life. Having the experience and talent needed and not getting the respect because of the color of my skin is hard ’cause even if I want to change that (which would never be the case) I can’t. Loss, mental health, and racial injustices have been some roughest things I’ve dealt with. But I cannot make more emphasis on the lack of resources that local color artists have in our communities.
Economical instability is very loaded for our local art. I’ve experienced that people like me have to work 3 times harder to bring a message. So fighting against the feeling of not getting tired is very challenging. Physically and mentally.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Jazz Fusion vocalist, songwriter, and actor. Also, I love to create content and video editing is one of my passions. My main focus is music, live performances, and writing music. I also coach vocally and love to train artists for auditions and stage presence. I believe you can become anything you want and the stage is for you to play with that. I love creating a space for my audience to feel identified with my experiences transformed into melodies.
I make sure during my live performances the audience feels included in making melodies and singing with me. My music is bilingual (English- Spanish) and having Spanish speakers singing in English and English speakers doing the same with Spanish is one of my biggest proud moments, it’s all that music is about, unity and love. Also telling my story on Ted Salt Lake City was a very transforming moment for my career, I was able to share some of my creative processes and talk about silence.
Being a multi-faceted artist is one of my biggest compliments. With my jazz as a root, I love to experiment with different genres and create worldly music that is digestible and honest. I believe that writing this today is a proud moment, struggling with mental health most of my life has its challenges when you are a form of the vessel for love and art.
I think that’s what sets me apart, my willingness to become an art.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I was 3 years old performing at the school recital. It was exciting because it was a big show. My dad worked with me for months, worked on my retention abilities a lot, my pitch, and my concentration. He was an amazing mentor, and I remember the entire process of getting me ready for this recital.
I didn’t feel like a 3-year-old kid, I definitely felt older, maybe because I remember everything. I was wearing a white dress and I can’t stop thinking, how happy I felt to have all these people silently listening and watching me perform.
But more than that, I loved watching my dad at the end of the room, against the wall with a nervous proud smile.
That was my first public performance ever and since that day I have always dreamed about doing it over and over again.
Contact Info:
- Email: jazzyolivo@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzyolivo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jazzyolivomusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jazzy_olivo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JazzyOlivoMusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6UBwGMqbIoofaRLBb9bSke?si=ZfcbOV6uRf–o6QTr-0BTw
Image Credits
Jujo, Marina Marqueza, Sam Crump, Jazzy Olivo, Lex Anderson, The Key, and Tedx Salt Lake City
