Written by: Melissa Talbert
Roots band, Earth and the Fullness performed their songs ‘Whisper Something’ and ‘Roots’ on the Jazz and Blues stage in March. It was sheer excitement for the voice of the band, Olivia Wilmot when she found out about the opportunity to perform.
‘I was so excited! I felt extremely blessed and really grateful for the opportunity to play because it’s a show that I’ve always looked at and said wow. And I just love the fact that it’s eclectic. It is really trying to represent lots of good music – I love that!’ Olivia expressed.
The singer/songwriter recalled how she was approached about her upcoming performance.
“I’m performing as a part of a showcase and it’s the Music Unites Jamaica showcase- New Sounds of Jamaica. Rosina Moder asked me to perform a song she heard me play literally a few days before the lock down. A friend of mine, Elizabeth had a show at her yoga studio and we played mostly new songs that were on upcoming releases. The song that she asked me to play was ‘Whisper Something’,” said Olivia.
However, to Olivia’s surprise, she performed two songs.
“We were allowed to play two songs which is just so fantastic! I was on a buzz for couple days well. It was so good to perform, to perform two songs and to do so outside! So we performed Roots. It was an amazing moment that moved me right away to honour singing and writing,” she shared.
But there was a time when Olivia struggled with self-confidence and grappled with the thought of discontinuing her music.
“I had put it down for several years thinking that
this isn’t for me and just talked myself out of it. I was going through a lot and didn’t feel like I was writing anything that could actually help anybody feel better. I felt like I needed to sort myself out and to be honest I didn’t believe in myself, and that’s a big part of what it comes down to,” Olivia told Buzzz Magazine.
Since then, Olivia has depended heavily on significant spiritual experiences and the encouragement she receives from loved ones to create music, take hold of life and overcome past worries.
To read more, please purchase a copy of Buzzz Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine Vol 10 #10 in a store near you.