Olivia Marsh is carving out a music career of her own! The South Korean-Australian singer, who’s younger sister is Danielle from popular K-pop group NewJeans, has debuted as a solo artist in 2024.
After working as a freelance songwriter for multiple South Korean artists, the singer-songwriter became the first artist to sign with MPLIFY, in 2024, new Warner Music Korea sub-label that aims to support Korean artists with global appeal, and focused on releasing English-language music.
She released her first song “Lava” on March 31, 2024, which was part of the soundtrack for the JTBC TV show Hide. Following that, she made her official solo debut with the single “42” on October 16, and has plans to release an album soon.
“My upcoming album consists of songs that I’ve written at songwriting camp, and is a diary of my three years living in Korea,” she told Teen Vogue in November 2024. “There are a lot of different influences and genres to expect — some Hip-Hop and R&B, and — my favorite — folk.”
While there were whispers that Danielle would be featured on her upcoming album, Olivia put the rumors to rest. She did note, however, that she played her sister her upcoming EP, and she’s a fan of “42” especially.
“I would love to do some in Korean if I get the opportunity,” she said of releasing songs in Korean. “I mean, my pronunciation isn’t the best. I’ve done Korean covers and written songs with Korean lyrics before and I’ve noticed that I always struggle with pronunciation.”
Prior to her debut as a solo artist, she and her sister had quite the interesting upbringing. Olivia was born in Sydney, Australia, before her family moved to a coastal city in New South Wales when she was three, and Danielle was born five years later. Her and her family then temporarily moved to Paju, South Korea when she was 10, where they were featured on several reality TV shows (or “variety shows,” as they’re known in South Korea).
She finished out her grade school years in Australia after her family moved back to Newcastle. After graduating from a performing arts high school, she attended the University of Melbourne in 2019, until the Covid-19 lockdown forced her to move to online classes. In 2021, she moved to South Korea once more to be closer to her family.
“When I moved to Seoul [in 2021], I didn’t expect to go into the music scene at all,” she explained. “I actually moved because I spent two years without any family close to me, and I realized I never wanted to spend any more time apart from them like that again.”
Scroll through our gallery below to uncover everything we know about Olivia.
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