Local singer Olivia Mae Graham had the opportunity to meet Terri Clark when opening for her at Burning Kiln Winery. Alex Franklin photo
By Jeff Helsdon
Local up and coming singer Olivia Mae Graham recently hit a career high, opening for country star Terri Clark at Burning Kiln Winery on July 18.
“It was a dream come true,” Graham said when interviewed a few days after the July 18 show. “I woke up the next day and it was like a wild dream I had, but there were pictures on Instagram.”
Calling Clark an inspiration in her career, Graham said Clark paved the way for females in Canadian country music. The Frogmore resident was doing a photo shoot for her next song early in the week of the concert when she received a message asking her to be the opening act. Her mother was with her.
“I just screamed and said ,”Mom I just got asked to open for Terri Clark,’” Graham recounted. “She slammed on the brakes and we were both screaming.”
Graham had contacted Burning Kiln months ago in hopes of being able to perform. She has been practicing the last six months, with hopes of being able to take the stage before her idol.
“I look at it as stepping stones,” she said. “For this one, I looked at it that if I don’t open for Terri Clark, I am still making music.
“It’s really cool to put in a lot of work the last couple of years and having the Burning Kiln team and Terri’s team recognize I was ready.”
Then with only one day to practice, Graham started to get nervous. “I always get nervous but everything was on in my nervous system,” she said.
Asked if that continued onto the stage, Graham answered, “I still had the jitters but I walked on the stage and all the nerves were gone.”
She was overwhelmed when people came up after the show and wanted their picture with her. Many said they were proud a Norfolk girl opened for Clark.
The crowd at Burning Kiln was the largest Graham has performed before, with the exception of singing the national anthem at a Blue Jays game.
Graham had the opportunity to meet Clark, and her bass player Clay, who has a mutual friend, came up and wished her good luck.
Growing up in Frogmore and attending Valley Heights Secondary School, Graham considers Tillsonburg the “town” closest to home. She told her mother at four years old that she wanted to be a singer.
“She asked why and I said I have a lot of songs to sing,” Graham recounted.
She started taking music lessons from Tillsonburg/Glen Meyer music teachers Alison and Darren Schott. The latter toured with the Good Brothers years ago. Graham studied music in university and built up a network on the recording side.
To Graham, each song is a story and building block. Her songs Red Rose, Mean Girls, I Can’t Move all have more than 40,000 views each on YouTube. The latter song “changed the needle” for Graham. She was balancing a full-time job and a music career, but the success of I Can’t Move led to a big decision.
“I left the job I was working and now’s it’s full tilt,” she said. “It’s gone crazy but it’s the crazy I asked for.”
Outside of YouTube, she has had incredible support on Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music.
This summer Graham has been playing all over Southwestern Ontario. This includes performances at the Back Stage Capital in Delhi and in Tillsonburg.
She is working towards the release of her next single. Saying she is sworn to secrecy, she couldn’t divulge the title but said it was the story of her life. That single will be released Aug. 14.
On performing live
A show for Graham includes mostly her own music but also a few covers of other musician’s songs. This weekend’s Friendship Festival in Simcoe is next on the list. Graham puts a lot into each show.
“I want them to have the time of their lives,” she said of the people in the audience. “I want it to be a bit different every time.”
While the shows have been solo to date, Graham is working with other Norfolk musicians to put together a live show for the fall.
“We’re going to try to hit every small town we can,” she said.
A new YouTube video series called “The Music in Between” has also kept Graham busy this summer. In this series, she shares her journey of life, her daily routine of writing sons, practicing, the ride to the Terri Clark Show. She also started her own fan club called the Mae Flowers.
Watch Graham’s web site, https://www.oliviamaegraham.com , for u
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