JoLivi has vowed to bring country music back to its roots. And… that’s not saying that she doesn’t enjoy “pop” country…she sites musicians including Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt as inspirations. JoLivi is talking about those country songs that tell a story, the ones that George Strait and Trisha Yearwood bring to life. Those stories that continue to live on, long after the music has ended. Moving away from her previous years as a budding pop star in LA.  JoLivi is honing her rasp on songs like “Vinyl,” which she enthusiastically calls a song about “going with the flow of things,” and her EP the “Raw Sessions” where she drives the “emotion at the end of the song” with her voice “struggling a bit to get the belt out.” While this is true, her songs on the Raw Sessions EP are grittier.  JoLivi offers an originality and passion that is palpable as soon as you hear it.

JoLivi hails from the state of Hawaii, a place where the last thing you think of is country music. She holds Hawaii close to her heart in the way she helps me pronounce it correctly… where the W sounds like a V and you hold out the last I. The passion for her homeland also comes in the form of the way she speaks of her grandfather, a full-blooded Hawaiian and musician, that obviously has left a deep impression on why she pursued music in the first place. JoLivi makes comparisons about Hawaiian music and county music that are logical. Like how she grew up with a lot of land and horses, in the country… A place where steel guitars were invented. Those open spaces and horses are not necessarily reminiscent of an island, but lends itself very well to the ideology of country music. Hawaii isn’t all sunny beaches and surfing. Much of the big island of Hawaii is undeveloped with old sugar plantations dotting the landscape.

That Hawaiian landscape, while beautiful, can be treacherous. JoLivi’s trip from Hawaii to Nashville can be heard through the beauty and rust of her idols, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt. Both musicians can be heard as inspirations within JoLivi’s songwriting. Much of her lyrics are reminiscent and inspired by what she refers to as “old school country” including Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson combined with that Americana and blues that both Taylor and Raitt provide. And why not? Country music continues to be infiltrated with hip-hop beats and faster deliveries, which is not a bad thing. But, JoLivi agrees that while “pop country is a good thing,” She goes on to say, “I think that we can definitely bring back the old school, outlaw country sound.”

Not that there isn’t pop music in her blood. Prior to making the trip to Nashville, JoLivi tried her hand at tried and true pop music in LA. JoLivi had some minor success, but her voice always yearned to be let free with JoLivi citing, ”There was always something drawing me back to country music. I wanted to write songs like Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt.” Country music also pairs nicely with the raspy undertones of her voice. She has been spoken in the same breath as Pink meets Trisha Yearwood, and wanted to show off her pipes rather than “have the music be more about the production.”

Nashville has seen a renaissance of a troubadour-style, classic country in the form of Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves. With those artists bringing a twang to the sound that just hasn’t been there for some time. JoLivi is hoping to add to that sound with a Nashville – by – Hawaii take on the genre that is equal parts dirt road and equal parts sun and surf. JoLivi is quick to point out that country music fans are rabid and some of the most loyal in music. She is ecstatic to be a part of the excitement. Her raspy vocals and pop sensibility are ripe for a breakthrough.

JoLivi hasn’t let off the gas since coming to Nashville with her manager nearly a year ago. She recently signed a publishing deal with the same team that handles Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and has six finished songs written in her back pocket. Writing with seasoned veterans has been a breath of fresh air for JoLivi citing, “It’s been nice writing with other people that are higher on the writing caliber… you’re not necessarily stuck as there are a lot of ideas constantly being thrown around.” Although she doesn’t know what the future brings, she consistently states that “if I’m writing, I’m good.” We have a feeling that you soon won’t forget her name as part of the future of country music.