More Than Just A Pretty Face
A PRETTY face, a pretty voice, a successful musical career - what more could a person ask? To be taken seriously,
smiled the English girl with sparkling green eyes. I know I'm pretty,
Olivia Newton-John added with a touch of shyness in her voice, and it may sound silly, but being pretty can create problems.
What kind of problems?
According to blonde, soft-spoken but fast talking Olivia, if you are pretty, people not only don't take you seriously because they think you are just playing at having a career, but a lot of people just won't take the time to really listen to your music. Olivia mentioned a review in which the critic said she couldn't sing but could be a terrific model or airline stewardess Not to be taken seriously when you feel you are a serious performer is very frustrating,
Olivia added. And it shakes your confidence when you don't know whether people like you for your singing or for your looks.
Olivia was born in Cambridge, England, the daughter of a Welshman who had wanted to be an opera singer but who became a professor instead, and the granddaughter of a Nobel Prize- winning German physicist. Olivia's father had a collection of more than a thousand records, mostly classical, although she was also introduced to the music of artists such as Tennesse Ernie Ford, Ray Charles and Nina Simone. As far back as she can remember, music was always playing at home, and frequently Olivia sang along with the records or the radio. When she was about five. Olivia's father accepted a teaching position in Melbourne, Australia, so the family moved there with him.
For the next eleven years, Australia was home for Olivia. My childhood was pretty normal,
Olivia said. My older sister wanted to be an actress, but that was as close as I came to show business.
In her last year of high school, Olivia was still undecided about a career, but she knew she'd he happy if she could work singing. She had wanted to go to college and study to become a veterinarian, hut her school grades, especially in science, weren't that good. Animals may have lost a good doctor, but people certainly gained a great singer!
Olivia started singing regularly in a coffee lounge owned by her brother-in-law. She soon began making appearances on the television variety shows for new talent. When she was sixteen, Olivia took first prize in a talent contest. This happened in Australia, and Olivia's prize was a trip to England to audition for a recording company. But nothing ever came of it. However, she did meet a number of aspiring singers, and she joined a teenage rock group called Toomorrow. The group toured with singer Cliff Richard, who was the Pat Boone of England at the time. Olivia's association with him proved to be very helpful because it put her in the public eye.
Soon she cut her first single record, Bob Dylan's If Not For You,
and to her surprise and delight it became an instant hit in England and America. It was while she was in England, before her hit record took her to America, that Olivia met Lee Kramer. He was a shoe importer with a very good business, but he believed in Olivia's ability to be a success so he gave up his business to come here with her and manage her career. But Olivia had to fight several battles with herself. For instance, she was petrified at the thought of doing live, onstage appearances. One reason for my fear,
she explained, was that I still thought of myself the way I was before I had some success. I used to be very shy on stage and terrified of falling over my feet when I walked out. Speaking to an audience used to scare me, but I'm pretty much over that now.
Olivia's recording of If Not For You
was a hit in America before most people knew who she was. Nobody here knew what I looked like, so people bought my records because they liked the music, not because they liked how I look,
Olivia said. That did a lot for my self-confidence.
Though she has a soft, whispery kind of voice without too much power or range, Olivia feels that now, after proving her ability with four single gold records (each one represents more than a million records sold) and three top-selling albums, that people really do like her singing.
Olivia admitted that the only way she can sing is gently. When she was starting out ten years ago, big voices were popular, and to get somewhere you had to be able to really belt out a song. For a long time it worried her; she not only had a soft voice, but she didn't feel the belting-it-out style was right for her. I'd like to improve my voice, though,
she admitted. But have to do it by working hard and hoping it will get better as I become more experienced.
Although Olivia's music is classified as country-western, she doesn't think of herself as a country star. I've never claimed to be a country singer. To call yourself that, you'd have to be born in that background. I simply love country music and its honesty,
she said, Olivia doesn't write her own songs, although she is working on some and she did compose Changes
on her latest album. She plays just a few guitar chords, never took singing lessons, and doesn't even read music! I sing strictly by ear,
she said with a smile.
RECORD sales have given her ego a tremendous boost. She is now one of the best-selling artists in the business. Her latest album for MCA, If You, Love Me, Let Me Know,
and Have You Never Been Mellow,
have each sold more than a million copies. Her latest record, Please, Mr. Please,
is well on its way to becoming her fifth gold record!
What's Olivia like when she is not performing? Although she has a house in Malibu Beach, California, she maintains an apartment in London, England, too. She's always loved animals and has always had pets. Her Great Dane, Zargon, and her Irish setter, Jackson, are an important part of her life. She loves running with them on the beach or just playing with them. She also enjoys horseback riding and would love to have a place where she could keep a couple of horses. For exercise and fun, Olivia plays tennis and goes bike riding. She loves flowers and hand-made jewelry; other kinds of jewelry don't interest her at all.
Olivia prefers the quiet life; Hollywood parties aren't her style. Her idea of a good party is a small gathering of good friends and an evening of pleas- ant conversation. And she enjoys those rare times when she is alone. It's understandable that a young woman as pretty as Olivia would get movie offers, but she hasn't found anything of interest at the moment. If the right script came along, she admitted, she would be willing to try acting. It never hurts to learn something new,
she laughed.
Success hasn't changed Olivia. She still hates getting up on rainy mornings, she still drives a modestly priced small car. All Olivia wants out of life is to be happy, to be loved and understood and to care about people and to be cared about in return. With all the fans this young lady has, her wish has just about come true!
By Sharon Lee