Olivia Theresa Longott (born February 15, 1981) is an American R&B singer. She is best known for performing with the hip-hop group

G-Unit G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released th ...

and also known as a cast member on the VH1

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series '' Love & Hip Hop: New York''.

Early life

Olivia Theresa Longott was born on February 15, 1981, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. Longott is mixed of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

, Jamaican, and

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

descent. She studied music at Bayside High School, in Queens and at

Five Towns College Five Towns College is a private college in Dix Hills, New York. The college's degree programs focus on music, media, and the performing arts. History Founded in 1972, Five Towns College holds an Absolute Charter issued by the New York State ...

Dix Hills Dix Hills is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on Long Island in the town of Huntington in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 26,892 at the 2010 census. In the past, Dix Hills and some of its neighbors have proposed ...

, New York. She began her performing career in her teenage years.

Career

J Records (2000–2004)

In 2000, Olivia became the first artist signed to

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

. Her self-titled debut album ''

Olivia Olivia may refer to: People * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer * Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 19 ...

'' was released in 2001 and featured the singles "

Bizounce "Bizounce" is the debut single recorded by American singer Olivia, from her self-titled debut studio album (2001). Producers Doug Allen and Joshua Thompson wrote the song in collaboration with Olivia and songwriters David L. Conley, Quincy Q. P ...

" which made #15 on the charts, Artist Chart History ''Billboard''. Retrieved September 24, 2007. and "Are U Capable". The album debuted at No. 55 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

G-Unit (2004–2007)

Olivia was signed to

from 2004 to 2007. Her best known song from this period is "

Candy Shop "Candy Shop" is the second single by rapper 50 Cent from his second commercial album, ''The Massacre'' (2005). It features Olivia (singer), Olivia and was written by 50 Cent. "Candy Shop" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

" with

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

. She also released the singles "So Sexy" and " Twist It" (with

Lloyd Banks Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, alongside childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. After the ...

) on the label.

2007–present

In 2007, it was announced Olivia and

G-Unit Records G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2002 by rapper 50 Cent, for the first eleven years of operation, G-Unit ran in conjunction with, and was distributed by, Interscope Records. In February 2014, ...

had parted ways. Her second studio album ''Behind Closed Doors'' was shelved, but leaked a year later on several mixtape websites. In 2009, Olivia did a feature for Congolese singer

Fally Ipupa Fally Ipupa N'simba (born December 14, 1977), known by his stage name Fally Ipupa, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, guitarist and producer. From 1999 until 2006, he was a member of Quartier Latin International, the music ...

on his song " Chaise Électrique" which was on the top of the Congolese and African Hits. On April 12, 2011, she released her first music video for "December" the first single from her then-upcoming album, ''Show the World''. The song peaked at No. 76 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, higher than her G-Unit debut single, "Twist It". In December 2011, she released her second single "Walk Away". During this time, she became a cast member on VH1's ''

Love & Hip Hop ''Love & Hip Hop'' is a media franchise that consists of several reality television series broadcast on VH1. The shows document the personal and professional lives of several hip hop and R&B musicians, performers, managers, and record produc ...

'', which chronicled her career struggles as an independent artist. Olivia declined a record deal from label EMI and in April 2012, signed a deal with

Jerry Wonda Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis (born 9 August 1975) is a Haitian music producer, film score composer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. His first major success was as a producer for the Fugees' 1996 album '' The Score''. He also played the bass guitar ...

's Wonda Music. She has since released two promotional songs: "Soldier Girl" (featuring Mavado) and "Sun Don't Shine" (featuring

Sean Kingston Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is an American-Jamaican singer and rapper. He is known for his hit songs " Beautiful Girls", "Fire Burning", " Take You There", and his collaboration wit ...

). In 2013, Olivia's song "Where Do I Go from Here?" hit iTunes at the No. 10 spot on the R&B/Soul charts. After a seven-year hiatus, Olivia returned to '' Love & Hip Hop: New York'' for its tenth anniversary season.

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (2001)

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Olivia 1981 births American contemporary R&B singers American people of Jamaican descent American entertainers of Cuban descent American women singers of Indian descent Hispanic and Latino American women singers Hofstra University alumni Living people Singers from New York City Musicians from Brooklyn American television actresses Hispanic and Latino American people in television Participants in American reality television series 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers Bayside High School (Queens) alumni American female hip hop singers