On this episode, Athena and Caroline meet Olivia Nied, a radiant queer, trans, and neurodivergent musician whose voice and artistry are as nuanced as her identity. They begin by tracing Olivia’s creative roots, from her early musical influences like Queen and the Beach Boys to her transformative experiences at a UK ukulele festival. Along the way, Olivia reflects on how music became both a mirror and a map in her gender journey, helping her find language for joy, self-recognition, and resistance.

As the conversation deepens, the trio explores Olivia’s most recent album Just Enough, an intimate project born from personal heartache and defiant self-expression. Olivia shares how her neurodivergence and transness shape her songwriting and how reclaiming what it means to be “too much” helped her land in the sweet spot of being “just enough.” Together, they dive into everything from musical improvisation to the psychedelic arms race between Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper, all while celebrating the queerness embedded in music’s DNA.

They close with reflections on persistence, creativity, and the power of finding joy in small moments. Olivia offers advice to her younger self, talks about balancing art and survival, and dreams out loud about a future where music sustains her full-time.

“Olivia Nied (she/they) is a singer/songwriter whose work is shaped by her experience as a queer, trans, and neurodivergent artist. Olivia has been writing and performing original music since she was nine years old. Her debut solo album, Just Enough, released last year, dives into themes of radical joy, identity, neurodivergence, and the search for belonging.”

https://olivianied.com/home

**

“Make it real to me” written by Athena Promachus, covered by Boy Bowser

The Trans Narrative was created, and produced by Caroline Penny, powered by Spotify for podcasters

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