INTRODUCING: OLIVIA MICELI

Olivia Miceli is a singer-songwriter and musician from the Midlands in the UK, known for creating music in the pop and synth-pop genres, with influences from dark pop and early 2000s pop hits. When she experiences an emotion she wants to share, songwriting is the first thing she turns to. As a musician who plays piano, guitar, and ukulele, she loves playing instruments and translating my emotions into songs. Her music has reached audiences across the UK, including airplay on 6 Music with Tom Robinson, as well as international listeners in Australia and Italy. Her songs are about the things she is experiencing, with varying influences, and always crafted with the hope of resonating with others. All in all, Olivia's music aims to connect with people, offering them a chance to feel and relate to the stories she shares.

Friday the 13th lands on February 13th, 2026 — a date loaded with symbolism. What does that title and timing represent for you emotionally and creatively? 

Friday the 13th is intrinsically connected with its namesake date in the calendar, having been written on Friday 13th and being inspired by events of that day, it only felt right to see the connection through by releasing the song on Friday 13th, 2026. I'm about to give readers a sneak peek into the lyrics of the song; Friday the 13th opens with me saying "I've never really been so superstitious...", and that is true- I'd never held any meaning to Friday 13th before this song, but as my inspiration came from that day, it felt too poetic to not pick up on those superstitions and turn that into art. The release date landing on February 13th also adds a layer of irony to this heartbreak song; as it is the day before Valentines Day, so whether people want to listen out of heartbreak or superstition, all signs pointed towards releasing Friday the 13th on February 13th 2026.

Your music blends pop and synth-pop with darker undertones and early-2000s pop influences. How did those sounds shape the mood and direction of Friday the 13th?

The way I wanted Friday the 13th to sound and fit with the rest of my discography took some time for me to figure out. I originally thought it would be a piano ballad with very little production, as I wanted the focus when listening to be mostly on the lyrics, but it never really felt finished with nothing else around it. I listened to Chappell Roan's Subway and Olivia Rodrigo's Drivers License for my inspiration, as they were two songs which I felt were able to convey the emotion in the lyrics, whilst using production to enhance that. Friday the 13th felt like a gut punch to write, and I wanted the production to feel the same way, which is where the percussion came in. Think Ironic by Alanis Morisette, the way the song starts so soft and simple and then becomes this mega wide chorus with percussion and vocal harmonies, Friday the 13th builds in depth and reaches its biggest climaxes in the choruses and bridge.

You’ve said songwriting is the first place you turn when you experience strong emotions. What emotional moment or period of your life sparked the creation of this release?

My songwriting is always inspired by my experiences or what I witness others go through. Like I said before, I've never been the superstitious kind, but if you're going to experience heartbreak on Friday 13th, then that feels pretty unlucky. It was funny, because whilst thinking about the events of that day, writing a song about it was the first thing my mind turned to, because it felt too dramatically poetic to not write a song about how ill-fated it is to get your heart broken on Friday 13th. It was complex building this song lyrically, trying to incorporate all the superstitions surrounding Friday 13th with the feelings and emotions you go through after heartbreak, but I was so excited to be able to tell a story so intricately through my songwriting.

As a multi-instrumentalist playing piano, guitar, and ukulele, how did instrumentation influence the way these songs came together, both sonically and emotionally?

I always start writing a song on the piano, as that is the instrument I am classically trained on and feel most connected to. The piano feels like it can bring emotions out of me and my music that I can't think of without it. Initially, I thought Friday the 13th would work best as a piano ballad with little other production, but adding instruments through MIDI, like strings and percussion, really elevated the sound of the song and made it even stronger emotionally. I also heavily focussed on using my voice as an instrument, including vocal melodies and harmonies to build on the textures in the song and create countermelodies which add to the complexity of the instrumentation.

Your music has resonated with listeners across the UK and internationally, from BBC 6 Music to audiences in Australia and Italy. What do you hope people feel or take away when they listen to Friday the 13th?

When people listen to Friday the 13th, I really want them to be able to immerse themselves in the story of the song. I hope they can feel the emotion and the longing in the songwriting and get a sense of what I was feeling at the time. Getting radio plays and interviews across the world is always such a lovely feeling, and the part that I find incredible every time is that another person other than myself has been able to connect with my music and chosen to listen to it, or play it on their radio station, or write about it in their blog. Being able to speak with you guys here at BabyStep Magazine is such an incredible opportunity for me to be able to speak about my music and to know that it has resonated with you, and hopefully others, is what I hope for with every release. So whether people listen to Friday the 13th because they are experiencing their own heartbreak, or just because they want to listen to my new release, I hope they feel heard and connected through my music.