By Scout Nicholson / The Jambar
Singer-songwriter and Ohio native Shelby Olive embraces the roles of artist, mother and teacher as she builds her music career. Olive released the third and final edition of her album, “Brace for the Changes,” in June 2025.
Born and raised in Stow, Olive said she has been making music her whole life. She got her start on her church’s worship team, where she sang alongside her father and twin brother.
In 2014, Olive and her friend Ariel McCleary created a project called “Recipe of Life” and released an album titled “The Secret Ingredient.” Olive said the project was her first time releasing her own original music.
Olive graduated from Kent State University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in music education. There, she created her solo project, “Shelby Olive,” and released her debut album titled “Make Sound” in 2018.
In between albums, Olive released a batch of singles and an EP titled “Bad for Me.” In December 2024, she released part one of her album “Brace for the Changes.”
“I wanted to put out a project that reflected my journey through my 20s and all the things I’ve learned thus far as I venture into the next decade of my life. I went through a really tumultuous couple of years towards the end of 2023,” Olive said. “I felt so deeply out of control … I turned to music during that time.”
Olive said that this album reflects how she couldn’t control the things that happened to her, so she needed to “Brace for the Changes.”
“I would say that the big connector for the project is, ‘Oh, yeah, I have zero control over the circumstances that happened to me.’ A lot of the time, I’m trying to hold onto something that has already changed, despite me trying to keep it the same or keep it precious. It’s going to change whether I want it to or not,” Olive said.
In March 2025, she released part two of the album, with seven tracks and a total run time of 22 minutes. She released the final edition, which features Olive’s favorite song, “River Meets the Sea.”
“‘River Meets the Sea’ is about generational trauma. As I have gotten older, I have noticed the things in myself that I like that come from my parents and also the things I’ve picked up from my parents that I don’t like. The song is about how we have the power to change,” Olive said.
With an earnest and down-to-Earth vibe, Olive said she writes for people that are going through circumstances similar to hers. However, she also said that her music resonates with all ages.
“I feel like I’m an open book and very honest when it comes to my songwriting. But it’s interesting because I think that my music resonates not only with people in my generation,” Olive said. “Younger people resonate with it. Older people resonate with it. I’m glad that people can take what they need from it, even if it wasn’t written with them in mind, so to speak.”
Currently, Olive is a full-time music teacher in Cuyahoga Falls and recently became a mother. She plans to take a break from releasing at the moment, but she still plans to create more music in the future.
“It was intentional to put out a big thing and then take a break. I am still writing music every day, picking up pen to paper and coming up with new ideas and things that inspire me with [my daughter],” Olive said. “There will be new music coming out, probably at the end of this year.”
For more on Olive, those interested can visit her website at shelbyolive.com or stream her music on Spotify and Apple Music.