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 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 1 ...
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 pers ...
descent. She studied music at
Bayside High School, in Queens and at
Five Towns College in
Dix Hills, 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 19 ...
'
J Records. Her self-titled debut album ''
Olivia'' was released in 2001 and featured the singles "
Bizounce" 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
G-Unit from 2004 to 2007. Her best known song from this period is "
Candy Shop" 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) on the label.
2007–present
In 2007, it was announced Olivia and
G-Unit Records 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 musi ...
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 producer ...
'', 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's Wonda Music. She has since released two promotional songs: "Soldier Girl" (featuring
Mavado) and "Sun Don't Shine" (featuring
Sean Kingston). 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
* ''
Olivia'' (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