Olivia Rox

Pop singer Olivia Rox channels earnest and frequently empowering material through a powerful, soulful instrument honed by years of childhood stage work. An American Idol finalist in 2016, she issued her debut solo project, POPROX, in 2019. A year later she shifted direction with the intimate follow-up Just a Girl & Her Guitar, then unveiled her first holiday collection, An Olivia Rox Christmas, in late 2022.

Born Olivia Isabella Hannah Hill in Agoura Hills, Colorado, she is the daughter of saxophonist Warren Hill and former singer turned producer Tamara Van Cleef. From toddlerhood she joined her father onstage, at her own insistence, to perform “Someday My Prince Will Come.” By age four she had begun writing original material and had accumulated hundreds of songs before reaching her late teens. At eight she starred in and scored the children’s film Olivia Rox, took principal parts in area musical theater productions, reached the final rounds before semifinals on season eight of American Idol at ten, and launched a personal social-media outlet devoted to both covers and self-penned tracks. While still a preteen she moved with her family to Los Angeles; in 2013, at fourteen, she competed on America’s Got Talent. After a brief association with Warner Bros., she produced the web series Roxumentary, which earned her another American Idol audition. Focusing on pop, she advanced to the top ten of the program’s fifteenth season in 2016 with interpretations of songs by Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5, Demi Lovato, and others. The run secured a deal with Songbird Records.

Her first official single, “It Girl,” appeared in mid-2019. Rox produced the track alongside her parents, and Grammy winner Mick Guzauski (Pharrell Williams, One Direction) handled the mix. POPROX arrived on Songbird that September. On the 2020 release Just a Girl & Her Guitar she replaced the earlier album’s assertive pop-rock blend with spare acoustic settings. Standalone singles such as the topical “Go Vote” and “It’s Christmastime” surfaced before year’s end. In 2022 she issued the full-length holiday set An Olivia Rox Christmas, supported by a seasoned ensemble that featured drummer Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr, Carlos Santana) and keyboardist Dennis Hamm (Kenny Loggins, Thundercat).