May 2, 2023 | 0 Comments

OLLELLA – BACK BACK BACK is at Top 200 Radio Now!!!

Ollella came my way via the recommendation of Band Mom artist Halley Greg, and I can see why they’re pals. Both Seattle-based lady vocalists with sassy feminist perspectives. That’s about where the similarities end, though. Ollella (real name Ellie Barber)’s primary instrument is the cello, and she does some really lovely stuff with looping and layering of instruments as well as vocals. Bit of a “stomp clap Hey” vibe on a couple tracks, others more contemplative and beautiful. Please note the spelling – OLLELLA – four total L’s, and one each of those 3 vowels – and the pronunciation – “oh-lel-uh”. There’s a lot of ways to get both of those wrong but for charting purposes especially, remember spelling does matter!

OLLELLA

BACK BACK BACK

Self-Released

NAME PRONUNCIATION KEY: “oh-lel-uh”

Ollella’s career as a musician started early, when she sang before she could talk. She has since created a life as a multidisciplinary artist as an indie-folk cellist, vocalist, songwriter, and graphic designer.

Ollella is the solo moniker for Ellie Barber, who trained as a classical cellist since the age of nine and now merges her technical background with authoritative vocals, live-looping, and improvisation. Described as “really outstanding” by NPR Music’s Bob Boilen and “so tastefully done” by Michelle Zauner (AKA Japanese Breakfast), Ollella blends the acoustic with the contemporary, folk with pop, and tenacity with softness, and pulls on influences such as Jesca Hoop, Cat Power, and Aoife O’Donovan. Her playing has been featured in films screened at film festivals such as Sundance and Aspen Film Fest, on recordings with others including Grammy-winning artist Peter Kater, and has shared the stage with popular Americana acts such as the Shook Twins and Rising Appalachia.

As the daughter of two parents who exercised both their right and left brains, Barber has always felt a push-and-pull in her life between art and science. Prior to committing to full-time artistry in 2020, she split her time between performing as a musician and serving as the Creative Director at an international climate research institute. Her pivot towards music was the result of much introspection around how she could best contribute to the world given the severity of climate change. Her work in climate science has been supported by organizations such as NASA, the Aspen Global Change Institute, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been featured in publications such as Resources Magazine, Yale Climate Connections, and the Pulitzer Center.

Barber finds herself drawn to music because it unlocks a particularly organic flavor of humanity – one that fits the type of world she believes in. Her work is ever-morphing, like herself.