13 Facts About Olivia Chaney

Olivia Chaney was born on 1982 and is an English folk singer, pianist, guitarist, harmonium player and songwriter.

Olivia Chaney was born in Florence, Italy, and grew up in Oxford, England, studying composition, piano and voice.

At 14, Chaney won a joint-first piano and voice scholarship to Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, which was focused on the classical repertoire.

Olivia Chaney went on to attend the Royal Academy of Music in London, on scholarship, where, as an improviser and songwriter, she studied in the jazz course.

On graduating from the Academy, Olivia Chaney taught herself guitar and Indian harmonium, and began performing regularly as a soloist.

Olivia Chaney performed on the live release Revenge of the Folksingers with Scottish artist Alasdair Roberts and period performance group Concerto Caledonia on the Delphian label.

Olivia Chaney has performed with the Balearic Folk Orchestra, for whom she sang, arranged and played harmonium and piano on the group's Amy Winehouse cover, "He Can Only Hold Her", for a Q Magazine tribute.

Olivia Chaney featured in Alasdair Roberts's 2013 album A Working Wonder Stone.

In November 2013, Olivia Chaney was nominated for two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards: the Horizon Award and Best Original Song, for "Swimming in the Longest River", which is featured on her self-released eponymous EP.

In 2017, Olivia Chaney was featured singing two songs on Folk Songs, an album with Kronos Quartet, and collaborated with American indie-folk band The Decemberists to release The Queen of Hearts, a joint album of reworked folk tracks under the name Offa Rex.

Olivia Chaney released a new solo album, Shelter, on Nonesuch Records on 15 June 2018.

In July 2019, Olivia Chaney was nominated as BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards' Folk Singer of The Year.

On 30 September 2019, Olivia Chaney was invited to play at Richard Thompson's 70th Birthday Celebration at the Royal Albert Hall in London.