California's Olivia O'Brien crafts vocals that lean into dance-driven electronic pop alongside emotionally charged ballads. Her breakthrough arrived in the late 2010s via the gnash collaboration "i hate u, i love u," which climbed into the Hot 100's Top Ten. That success opened doors to her first album, Was It Even Real?, issued in 2019, plus EPs such as The Results of My Poor Judgement in 2020 and Episodes: Season 1 in 2021. In 2022 she joined FLETCHER on the hit single "Bitch Back," then established Girlhood Records, releasing the 2024 EPs Love & Limerence and Everywhere I Go, There I Am under the imprint.
O'Brien entered the world in Thousand Oaks, California, in 1999 and began singing early, later mastering guitar and piano on her own. During adolescence she started composing original material and sharing covers digitally. Los Angeles-based singer/rapper/producer gnash discovered her after she interpreted his track "Disposable"; he asked to hear her own songs, prompting joint work. In 2015 the pair uploaded their take on "i hate u, i love you," which gnash placed on his 2016 debut EP us and issued as a commercial single. The release surged in popularity, reaching number one in Australia and the U.S. Top Ten.
Following her 2016 Island Records signing, O'Brien issued the debut solo single "Trust Issues" that August. Additional tracks came next, among them "Root Beer Float" with Blackbear, "Find What You're Looking For," "Empty," and "RIP," the last two featured on the 2017 EP It's Not That Deep. In 2018 she appeared on Jack & Jack's "Beg" and enlisted G-Eazy and Drew Love for a "RIP" remix. Later that year the singles "UDK," "I Don't Exist," and "I Care More" preceded her debut full-length Was It Even Real? in spring 2019. O'Brien remained active in 2020 with EPs The Results of My Poor Judgement, Josslyn, and Hope That It Was Worth It. Early 2021 brought singles such as "Better Than Feeling Lonely" and "Sociopath," the latter included on Episodes: Season 1 alongside "No More Friends" featuring Oliver Sykes of Bring Me the Horizon.
O'Brien began 2022 with the FLETCHER-assisted "Bitch Back," followed later by "Never Be the One." She departed Island Records to launch Girlhood Records, marking the June 2024 opening with Love & Limerence and its single "Blip." A second EP, Everywhere I Go, There I Am, followed that November, carrying the singles "Lower" and "All the Time."
