Local YUMP! – Olivia from PRP

We continue our journey of past Local Yumps with Oliva from Pleasure Ridge Park.

I was born in Louisville and have lived here all 21 years of my life! I graduated from Pleasure Ridge Park High School and loved every minute of it! I feel like I have accomplished a great deal for myself in such a short period of time. I have been singing since I could talk and that is the only thing I want to do with my life. My addiction is being on stage and I would stay up there all day if the crowd wanted me to!

I started my own band two years ago and we have been playing in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area ever since. You can find our schedule, photos, contact information, and media on my website: oliviacountry.com. I have opened for artists such as Chuck Wicks and Trace Adkins and have played at Thunder Over Louisville, 4th Street Live, Hardrock Café, the Kentucky State Fair, Horseshoe Casino, Legend’s Bar, and numerous spots in Nashville. I hope to share my love of music with the world in the very near future as I am recording my first original album in March!

1. Cards or Cats, favorite player?

I bleed red!! I do go to UofL, of course! I would have to say my favorite basketball player was T-Will! He’s so energetic and gets not only his team, but the fans into the game every time! But, baseball is my favorite sport!

2. Who would you cast to play you in a movie?

Since I get, “You know you look just like Reece Witherspoon?” at least once a day I guess I will go with her! What a wonderful compliment to be compared to her! She’s so gorgeous, talented, and accomplished! Funny story, I was at Derby a couple years back and, thanks to my great-uncle who was chairman of the Derby Festival, we got boxed seats. Being from Louisville and an annual visitor to the infield at Oaks, my family and I were not used to being in dresses and big hats at Churchill Downs! We were sitting in our seats and this woman came up to me and asked for my autograph! When I signed Olivia Henken, I think she realized under that big hat I was NOT Reece Witherspoon!

3. What’s the first thing you notice when you meet a guy?

Gotta say the smile! Gets me every time! I think a guy with a nice smile means he loves to laugh and have a good time, just like me!

4. What approach is most likely to work with you?

I’m not a big partier and I don’t frequently visit the bars so I haven’t had too much experience with pick-up lines or “approaches”. I’ve been dating the same guy for four years and we met on MySpace…another funny story!

5. Would you rather date an ugly, funny guy, or a gorgeous guy who is an a-hole?

I’ll have to go with ugly and funny! Looks fade and in the crazy world of entertainment, you are constantly doing something. From traveling to doing shows to recording in the studio, you never seem to stop. So, I think it is important to have someone around you with a positive attitude and at the end of the day makes you laugh. I’ve met my fair share of “a-holes” and I think they just shed a negative light on your life and make you an unhappy person and I don’t need that!

6. Dumb and Dumber: Greatest movie ever or Worst movie ever?

I wish I could have a penny for the looks on everyone’s faces when I say: I’ve never seen it!

7. How many pushups can you do?

Well, after starting the first video of p90x recently, I have found out the hard way I can only do about 5! (lol)

8. The Federal Reserve recently raised the discount rate since the start of what has largely been referred to as the Great Recession. Do you believe that this move is primarily a symbolic attempt intended to signal a warning to banks that their bloated balance sheets have been largely unregulated for too long, or is this a harbinger for further attempts to curb a predicted period of inflation after the unprecedented actions taken to loosen up the credit markets?

Huh?! I’m sorry, you lost me at “The”. Is this a serious question?

9. Favorite cartoon growing up?

HA! Barney for sure! Proudly carried that Barney lunchbox until 2nd grade! I like to think I was a “nerd”!

10. Are you a beer, wine or mixed drink kind of girl?

When I do drink, it just depends on where I am! With singing and keeping my voice healthy, I try not to drink so much because I like to yell over people and talk very loudly when I am out and that is never a good thing the next day! For example, if I am by the beach or by the pool, definitely frozen drinks; Tailgating or at a party, beer; Some place nice or at dinner, wine.

11. When you’re at a bar/club and want to dance, you tend to dance…on the dance floor? Or on the bar?

When I am out with my friends, you will find my feet planted on the ground. But, when I am singing and the crowd is into my show, I tend to sing on the bar! I went to Tootsie’s in Nashville and the band let me up to sing. It was so crowded, they told me to get on the bar! You’ve got to love people who know how to party!

12. Favorite place to eat at 4 a.m.?

Denny’s or Waffle House!! As a matter of fact, I just had Waffle House last week at that time! Those are some fun times when everyone is tired and slap happy and you just laugh the entire time over stupid stuff!

13. Who let the Dogs out?

Well, I guess my Mom since I never take her out!

14. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?

Probably the worst day of college ever. I bought this cute new bag for school and since UofL is the biggest campus on the planet I had to walk a mile from one end of it to the other. The strap broke on my bag, everything flew out, and if that wasn’t bad enough BOTH of the little straps on my flip flops broke so I had to walk a half mile barefoot carrying all my stuff!

15. True story: At work, one of my coworkers said in a meeting, “We need to keep abreast of this situation.”, and “That’s something that we DO do…” Would either of these statements make you giggle?

Not as bad as what my co-worker said the other day, “We must practice package penetration!” Don’t go there, I work at a bank – I still don’t know what they meant!

Turn Ons?

Someone who has a good smile, taller than me if I wear six inch heels, dark hair, can make me laugh, a romantic – but not a sappy and fake one, likes to have fun, can kick back and just relax and watch a movie on the weekends instead of going out all night. I’m pretty simple believe it or not! I’d rather stay in, make some popcorn, and watch a movie on the couch instead of getting ready and going out. I guess since my job is playing in bars and clubs, I get kind of tired of them.

Turn Offs?

Like you said before, an “a-hole”, someone who treats you like scum, a cheater, a liar, who thinks of themselves above anyone else, someone who doesn’t do the “small things” for you. I could go on but maybe I should try putting all of that into a song instead!

Favorites:

Food? I cannot narrow it down to just one so I will say: crab legs, maccaroni and cheese, brussel sprouts (when my mom makes them! – and anything else green!), ice cream, Japanese food, Mexican food, and mashed potatoes and gravy! I’m picky, but this doesn’t make it look like it!

Sport? Baseball and cheerleading (and yes it is a sport!)

Animal? DOGGY!! I just got my first dog (and I’m 21!) My parents never had one so I never had one growing up! I talked them into getting the most precious yorkie-poo on the planet! She’s my baby, I love her!

Song? This list may be like the food list so I won’t go there. I like all kinds of music from country to rap to alternative and my favorite song changes with the top 40! Right now I love Josh Thompson’s song, “Beer On the Table”. I jam to it like a little kid in my car?

TV Show? Anything to do with criminal investigation, I wanted to be a CSI when I graduated high school! Criminal Minds, CSI: Miami, Fringe. I also like The Bachelor/Bachelorette (yes I know, but the drama is so funny!), Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Dexter. My DVR hates me!

Movie? Ocean’s 11. Brad Pitt is so hot in that movie!

Restaurant? Kobe’s Japanese Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse – you can’t beat their salads ANYWHERE!

Bar/Club/Hangout? I don’t really go out so I don’t really have one. I just go with the flow!