[TF Interview] Beyond NewJeans Danielle's Sister: Olivia Marsh in Her Own ①

Reporter Jung Byung-geun

Feb 16 2025, 00:00 KST

First Mini Album 'Meanwhile' Released on the 13th... A Journey of Self-Discovery

The Pure Story of Olivia Marsh, Created Without Intentions of Becoming a Singer

Olivia Marsh released her first mini album 'Meanwhile' on the 13th. The five tracks were created during her time as a composer, embodying her two-year journey of self-discovery. /MPLIFY

[THE FACT | Reporter Jung Byung-geun] Olivia Marsh is already well-known as NewJeans(Currently NJZ) member Danielle's older sister. However, even without that association, Olivia Marsh stands out on her own merit. From her mysteriously beautiful appearance to her broad spectrum of songwriting abilities and charming voice, her various charms make her shine.

Olivia Marsh released her first mini album 'Meanwhile' on the 13th. The album contains five tracks in total, including double title tracks 'STRATEGY', 'BACKSEAT', along with 'WATERWORKS', '42', and 'PINA COLADA'. The five tracks were created during her time as a composer, fully capturing her two-year journey of self-discovery.

"These are songs I made during my two years of composing. 'Meanwhile' means exactly that - it's an album that contains what happened to me, what episodes and emotions were in my life. Actually, I made these songs without knowing if I would debut as a singer and release them, so they contain more diverse genres and emotions. You'll be able to hear various styles."

She made these songs more freely because she didn't know if she would debut as a singer. To understand why she created songs that might never see the light of day, we need to look at her life.

Olivia Marsh's younger sister is NewJeans member Danielle. Having dreamed of life in Korea, when her sister Danielle debuted with NewJeans and her mother stayed in Korea, she took courage to come to Korea, transforming from an office worker to a freelance composer and then to a singer-songwriter in the public eye. /MPLIFY

Olivia Marsh grew up in Australia. Except for a three-year stay to learn Korean during elementary school, she lived there continuously. Perhaps because her memories of Korea were quite good, she always dreamed of living in Korea, and when her sister Danielle debuted with NewJeans(Currently NJZ) and her mother stayed in Korea, there was no reason to hesitate. So she took courage and came to Korea.

Until then, she hadn't dreamed of becoming a singer. Olivia Marsh recalled, "After graduating from university in Australia, I had thoughts about living in Korea. My mom and sister were here, and I wanted to live in Korea again. So as soon as I came to Korea, I found a job and worked as an office worker." The job was related to music.

Olivia Marsh studied interactive composition in university. While it's a somewhat unfamiliar field, she summarized it as "sound design." It's about creating music that can evoke certain feelings in other artistic works like films and dance. She did this kind of work at her first job. Thanks to that, she experienced various collaborations and naturally encountered composition. That was the first trigger.