Olivia Newton-John, Canadian singer/songwriter Amy Sky and Nashville-based singer/songwriter, Beth Nielsen Chapman
Olivia Newton-John Presents The World With Holiday, Hope & Healing
“LIV ON was created to celebrate life, inspire living, and build a supportive community among cancer survivors and those left behind.” -- Olivia Newton-John
When I was a teenager, I wanted nothing more than to be Olivia Newton-John. To me, this young vocalist and actress was the epitome of beauty, talent, and celebrity. Plus, she came with a cool accent. I’d spend countless hours trying to mimic her. It never worked. Olivia (or Sandy), I was not.
Since that point, however, my adoration of Olivia Newton-John has only grown in ways much more meaningful than whence it began. I hold a deep respect for her, having stood up to numerous challenges that would have shattered many a person, remiss of the intrusion of the public eye. Included in these has been Cancer -- her’s, her sister’s, and that of a close friend’s.
Today, Olivia Newton-John devotes much of her time to helping other Cancer survivors as well as those left behind to ‘live on’ and her recent album and organization - both called LIV ON - are the newest ways that Olivia is taking a stand.
What is your personal mantra?
Two things, gratitude and helping people.
You describe your new album, LIV ON, as healing music. Healing music can mean many things to many people. What does it mean to you?
Music that takes you to a place where you feel and feel not alone -- a place of community. This album was inspired by the loss of my sister from Cancer. Grace & Gratitude was the song I wrote for her. The album was created to fill a need that wasn’t being filled -- to provide music to comfort in all types of pain.
Does it matter to you if you sell any LIV ON albums or do you believe the joy of the creative process alone and the healing you’ve received through the project makes it worth it either way? Why?
Yes, I believe in both. We don’t expect this to be a number one album, but this is a creative process that is really important regardless of how many we sell. It will make people cry, which is important.
What’s the true lesson you are trying to teach others through LIV ON?
This music addresses the feeling when you don’t know what to say to someone who is grieving -- hence the song A Stone In My Pocket. We relived the stages of grief while writing this album.
Are you donating a percentage of revenue from LIV ON On to any social cause organization such as the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia? Yes, and a portion of every ticket from the show will be donated there as well.
What’s the silver lining to your experiences with Cancer?
Something good always comes out of something bad. This music is my silver lining. I’ve become more grateful for life and feel enormously grateful to help others throughout my life.
If you had the option of throwing your troubles in a basket with others, and randomly picking new ones out, would you?
I think I’ve had all of the ones in the basket. If I’m wrong here, I would rather stick with the ones again.
Share a social cause or cause-based organization close to your heart.
The LIV ON website. We are hoping to comfort each other through this site by sharing each other’s stories. We want Cancer survivors to share their videos to encourage others.
When all is said and done, how would you like to be remembered?
I hope that I helped some people and made a difference for their lives.
If you ask me, this is one of those splendid occurrences when an idol, actually, becomes real and turns out to be better than you could have ever imagined. Just as Olivia Newton-John was a strong role model in my youth, she is equally so in my adult life. I admire her for her strength in caring and her desire to help. She ‘walks the walk and talks the talk’, folks. And as I sat in awe of her as a young kid when she strutted-her-stuff in 'Grease' in those infamous pumps of hers, I do so again, today, for a reason that involves an entirely different type of heal -- one designed to help others LIV ON.
Many thanks to Olivia Newton-John and Caprio Media Design for making this interview possible