INTERVIEW | W/ Olivia Booth
- SHOWGRAPHERS
- Sep 11
- 7 min read
From Manchester’s indie scene to stages across the UK, Olivia Booth has been carving her path with raw, heartfelt songs that blur the lines between pop, rock, and soul. Since making the finals of a national open mic competition at just 14, she’s been honing her craft as both a songwriter and performer, building a reputation for honest storytelling and powerful live shows. With her latest release MIND, Olivia dives deeper into personal experiences, pairing emotional songwriting with striking visuals that capture the essence of her music. In this interview, Olivia talks about her journey so far, the role of imagery in her work, and what’s next as she continues to grow her sound and vision.
Hi Olivia! For readers who might be discovering you for the first time, can you give us a brief introduction — who you are, what kind of music you make, and how this journey began for you?
Hi Everyone, My name is Olivia Booth and I am an Indie Pop-Rock artist from Manchester in the UK. I have been singing since I was small and knew it was what I wanted to do as a career when I entered a national Open Mic competition when I was 14 years old and got to the Grand Final at London’s O2 arena!
From there I have studied songwriting and been performing all over the UK either as a solo artist or with my brilliant band. ‘MIND’ is my latest release.
How would you describe your sound to someone who's never heard your music before? What emotions or imagery do you hope to evoke in a first-time listener?
Describing my sound is always interesting to be honest. Although I am identified as an Indie Pop-Rock artist, industry reviewers have called my sound genre-defying. My music has an eclectic mix of influences, one observer said I was “part Blondie, part Amy Winehouse and part Courtney Love”, whilst another said I was a Northern Adele and one of my tracks was ‘Dolly Parton meets the Arctic Monkeys’ so I hope that means there is something for everyone!
As for the emotions and imagery, all my music is written based on my own personal experiences or those of my friends and family. So my songs are very personal, sometimes sad, sometimes happy, maybe a little bit rebellious and occasionally a little bit cheeky. I try to convey the emotions of those situations with descriptive lyrics and frame those lyrics with evocative melodies. My hope is that the listeners resonate with the music and can imagine where it fits in with stories from their own lives.
Your music feels incredibly personal and emotionally charged — do you find that photography and visual storytelling help you process or express those emotions in a different way than songwriting does?
I think that photography and visual storytelling can express the story I am telling in one or two images. Together, visual imagery, be it photography or other artwork,and music absolutely tell a story.
Apart from my first release I have chosen to use photographs as the artwork for my tracks. In each piece I have tried to reflect the crux of the song’s story. For example, my track ‘Let’s Talk’ is about men's mental health and encouraging men to talk when they are struggling. We have used a picture of me with my friend Jack, he is facing away from me and my hand is on his shoulder depicting support. The image is in black and white which brings a sombre element to it. I feel it is a striking image and we have captured the essence of the emotion and the track.
Let’s talk about the visuals for “MIND.” What was the creative concept behind the promo imagery? Can you take us behind the scenes of the shoot — how the ideas came together, how they evolved alongside the track, and who you collaborated with to bring it to life?
For all of my recent tracks I have used the same photographer, Oli Thomas from Matchbox Productions in my hometown of Warrington. Oli has shot the majority of my non-gig promo shots too. I love his work and feel he is able to understand my thought process and capture what I want really quickly.
I go to the studio with a vision of what I want and we work together to make it happen. For MIND I wanted it to be a picture of me at night in bed but unable to sleep. He didn't know this before the session so I kind of dropped it on him. We were able to build a makeshift bedroom from some props hanging about the studio and I had taken the bedding and nightwear. To add to the atmosphere Oli provided the right level of lighting and also in his shots was able to add some distortion to the image which reflects my mind at night, the anxiety and racing thoughts.I am really happy with how the artwork came out for MIND, showing me hugging the pillow for comfort because I am dealing with the anxiety alone. I feel it truly reflects the emotion I was aiming for.
We’ve noticed you share a lot of live shots on your Instagram and in your promo materials. Do you work with a dedicated photographer, or do you tend to invite different photographers to your shows? Or do they just naturally show up wherever you play?
The live shots from my gigs are a mix from different photographers. Some of them have been commissioned for the shows by other bands or the promoters, or I have brought them along. I often get requests from photographers who are trying to get into the music industry and want to gain more experience. I think that's great, they get to practice and I use their work and promote them on my socials if I use any of their shots.
How do you feel about being photographed while performing? Are you aware of the cameras, or do you find yourself completely immersed in the music?
I don’t mind being photographed whilst I am performing. When you are on stage you are so engrossed in your performance and the audience that you often forget that the photographers are there - unless of course they are front and centre in the press pit at the front of the stage and you lock eyes with them!
Being photographed as a performer I feel is part of the job, and it’s important to keep providing fans with up to date and relevant imagery. Not all fans can come to gigs so it's important for them to be able to see what's happening on stage. It’s also a ‘time-capture’ and something to look back on as part of my evolution as an artist.
When it comes to live gig photography, what elements make a shot truly special to you? Is it about capturing a certain light, movement, raw emotion, or maybe something more subtle?
I absolutely love candid photographs. They are my preference, just capturing a natural moment in time. I know posed shots are important for marketing and branding etc, but live gigs are real and dynamic and that’s what I like the shots to portray. I feel the photographs that capture that rawness, the connection either with the audience or between band members, the staging and lighting are very atmospheric, and that’s so special for the artist and the fans.
If you could design the ultimate Olivia Booth photo shoot — a location or concept that perfectly mirrors your sound and visual energy — what would that look like?
Ohhh interesting question…. I think that my look and feel is that of an authentic, gritty, northern girl with a bit of glam. I have never been one for fake eyelashes and sequins etc and am far more comfortable in jeans, adidas trainers with a corset top for the glamour part. I have done some location shoots in pretty stark environments like industrial units and back alleys of the town - lots of brickwork, barbed wire and metal shutters!
I think an ultimate location shoot would probably build on something like that, maybe downtown LA with the graffiti, broken down cars etc. I have this vision of a nighttime shoot with car headlights framing me as I walk in the neighbourhood. Alternatively Havana could work too if someone wants to send me to the Carribean!. If I was sensible I would aim for dream holiday destinations like the Maldives or South Pacific and bring a bit of the Northern vibe to the shoot, not too sure that would work though!
Are there any visual artists or photographers, past or present, that you’d love to collaborate with? What draws you to their work?
I love Danny Clinch’s work. He has a real eye for both candid and environmental shots, which would work really well for the authentic gritty look I like in my photos. The other one at the minute is Isha Shah, her creativity in live gig photography is really interesting, and it would be great to see what she could capture for one of our gigs.
Finally, what’s next for you in the second half of 2025? Can fans expect more music, videos, or live shows before the year wraps up?
Yes the fans can hopefully see a lot of me in the second half of 2025, it’s looking pretty busy. I have this current release of MIND and then maybe one more track for release before the end of the year. Some great gigs coming up in Manchester, the Midlands and Lincolnshire including a couple of one day festivals. I am also recording a podcast in a couple of weeks for a Music podcaster and have a video of a live band recording being released before the end of September. Lots happening and fans can find out more via my socials, but if anyone want to know more or have some exclusives then sign up to my Mailing List which you can find via my website www.oliviaboothmusicuk.net