Music interview: Olly E

19 May 2025

A man with short dark hair and a beard stands confidently with arms crossed in front of a colourful graffiti wall featuring pink and green designs. He wears a dark blue t-shirt with a pink graphic design, dark blue trousers and a silver chain.

Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with Loughborough artist Olly E to find out more…

Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I’m from Loughborough in Leicestershire and first got into music by performing as a soloist as a warm-up for a battle of the bands competition at Loughborough town hall at the age of 12.

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
When I started Olly E in 2017 I was influenced by Linkin Park, Muse and Pendulum but that shifted to Twenty One Pilots, MGK and Yungblud around 2020 to nowadays being inspired by Deftones and other nu-metal bands as my sound shifts.

How would you describe your sound?
It’s Alternative Rock/Metal however my current focus is nu-metal for the singles I’m currently releasing.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
After I’m Gone discusses mortality and how we will one day pass away. It poses questions such as ‘Will the ones we love be there for us?’ and ‘Will we be remembered for our time on earth?’. It discusses how time is fleeting for all regardless of prestige. However, the underlying theme is love. We will spend a more fulfilling time on this planet if we keep the ones we love close within our lives.

What’s your local music scene like?
I’m not quite sure as I’ve only just began gigging with my backing band after taking time away from my own music for a year to focus on my music business.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I aim to release an EP as 4 separate singles all within one subgenre then when that cycle ends adopt a new subgenre/look and work towards another EP so my style is always renewing. My currently cycle is nu-metal then afterwards I might head towards electronica or even britpop!

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
I’m currently collaborating on each single with another local artist which has been fun to do so far. My dream collabs would be Tyler Joseph or Corey Taylor.

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
I broke a string on stage on my first headline show and the sound engineer played Nintendo Wii music whilst having to leave the stage and fix my guitar!

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
I suppose the fact that I intend to release EP’s as 4 singles then renew my image and subgenre to keep renewing myself as an artist similar to ghost or David Bowie.

You can find out more about Olly E on his website or via Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, TikTok or YouTube.