THE former head of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust, affectionately known by many as the ‘Singing CEO’, Olivia Hope Myeza, recently launched her debut single, Till I Can Get to You.
Born in Australia, Hope lived in Hillcrest for 10 years and was CEO of Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust before she recently relocated back to Australia with her family.
Her moving single, written in 2020 in the height of global Covid-19 lockdowns, border closures and travel restrictions, will resonate with all those who have been separated from their loved one’s due to the pandemic. With haunting vocals and delicious guitar work, the soul-pop song is poignant and its acoustic delivery and production is real and raw.
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“I’m really excited for the Upper Highway community to hear my song. Hillcrest and The Valley of 1000 Hills is a place that shaped who I am and how I sing,” she said.
Olivia Hope, the name she goes by on the single, sang with the Connection Gospel Choir from The Valley of 1000 Hills for several years. As the only member who wasn’t Zulu, she learnt a lot about the culture and the language through the music.
“I also met my husband as he was a member of that choir, so I’m eternally grateful for everything that experience gave me. South Africa has the best singers in the world, in my opinion. Singing in South Africa, I had to unlearn how to sing from the head and learn how to sing from the heart and soul,” she said.
The Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust (HACT), where she was the CEO for six years, was an incredibly special place for her and said there was not a day that went by where she hasn’t missed it.
“We used to start each Monday morning off by singing and praying together as a team. It was not uncommon to hear staff members or patients breaking into song at various times throughout the week. Sometimes we were singing out of joy, sometimes out of pain, but there was always singing. There’s something very powerful that happens when people sing together. It doesn’t happen enough in Western cultures, it’s something that’s been lost,” said Hope.
The team at HACT nicknamed her ‘The Singing CEO’ and were a constant encouragement for her to do something with her voice.
“Well, finally, I’m doing something! My debut release is a song about missing family and loved ones because of Covid-19, border closures and travel restrictions. It goes out to all my loved ones in South Africa, including our family, friends and the team at the AIDS Centre. ‘Stay well and stay safe till I can get to you,’ as the song says,” smiled Hope.
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Hope described herself as a mother of three, a wife, a chocoholic, a lover of extra hot chai lattes, and a fundraiser working in the charity sector. Hope has been singing for as long as she can remember and wrote her first song at the age of 10.
Apart from the odd Facebook post in recent years, no-one has heard her original songs and she has never pursued music as anything other than a hobby. Her plan is to change this after recently realising that her childhood dream of sharing her songs with the world was still burning within her.
Hope is keen to prove to herself and her children that it is never too late to chase a dream. Hope said the three things that have greatly impacted and influenced her voice and inspired her song-writing: her father, Africa and loss.
“I think it’s pretty safe to say that I inherited my musicality and voice from my dad – growing up with him gigging and rehearsing a lot around the home. I’m grateful to him for the genes! I spent 10 years living in South Africa and singing with a Zulu gospel choir, an experience that changed who I am and the way I sing. I believe my voice and my songs have been shaped by the highs and lows of life. My mum passed away when I was 14 and my brother-in-law when he was 21 years old. I’ve written songs for both of them. I’ve also written songs for my husband and my kids and all the joy and wonder they bring me. The more we go through, the deeper we are able to dig to write a song or sing a melody that will move people,” said Hope.
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