5 Songs I Love w/ OLLIE

Following the release of his latest single, 'Guardian Angel', Flex caught up with Tallinn-based alt-rock artist and producer OLLIE to find out what influences his eclectic sound. If you enjoy OLLIE's picks, be sure to check out the soul-stirring 'Guardian Angel' at the end of the article.

1) Linkin Park - in The End

I could name a hundred reasons why this is my favorite song, but I guess the major reason is that this is the song that got me into singing in the first place. I wouldn't have discovered that I have a knack for rock vocals, if it weren't for this song.

So it pretty much laid the foundation for OLLIE. I grew up with this music. I would switch between music channels like MTV or VIVA until finally something from Linkin Park came along. I was just so naturally drawn to it - that raw, angry and aggressive wall of guitar sound combined with beautiful melodies. And that type of music still resonates with me, to my core, till this day.

2) Toto - I Will Remember

Another one straight from my childhood. My father loves Toto - so I love Toto. It always brings me back to the long drives from our summerhouse in the countryside, to our home in the city. "Tambu" was an album by Toto, which my father loved listening to. And it just sounded so good and relaxing. I still take a lot of inspiration from them. Every member of the band is an unbelievably talented musician, so everything from the songwriting and production, to individual instrument performances are just ('chef's kiss') spot on. I mean Steve Lukather's guitar solos - just wow! If there was the perfect combination between melody, taste and technique, that would be it.

3) System Of A Down - Hypnotize

Another band I could take a million examples from - but they got me into taking music seriously when I was 14. We were hanging out at a friend's place, and this song came on MTV. And I was hooked! I gravitated towards Daron's guitar playing and I needed to do THAT, just that, exactly that! One of my classmates was already into guitar playing, so one day we went over to his place, he took his guitar, struck a power chord... and that was it. Dad bought me a guitar and my life's mission was to learn all my favorite songs from S.O.A.D. "Hypnotize" was the first one.

4) Steve Vai - Hand On Heart

If I had to choose one person, who's inspired me the most along the whole of my musical journey - it's Steve Vai. Such a unique sound. Hearing him the first time, it was nothing I'd ever heard before. And it was captivating.

I had gone through my S.O.A.D, Metallica and Guns 'N' Roses phase, and playing their songs was no longer a challenge. Back then, I just wanted to be a great guitar player. Steve Vai was my main inspiration for the next 6 years. My mp3 player was 80% stuffed with his music. "Hand On Heart" was my favourite and out of all the songs, I enjoyed playing this one on the guitar the most. And it's not just the music. Listening to Steve's interviews is so inspiring. He always had something to say that would strike a chord in me and I'd always come back to those interviews. Such a warm individual. Thank you, Steve!

5) Britney Spears - Oops!... I Did It Again

Heh...Didn't expect this one, did ya? When studying in advanced music schools, there tends to be a stigma, that "pop music is shit, cause it's sooooooooo easy, and progressive music / jazz music is above everything else." Fuck anybody, who thinks like this. Sorry, not sorry, but you do not know what you're talking about. You're naive. And you're extremely prejudiced. Have you ever succeeded, heck, have you even tried making a pop song that is actually good? I'm not saying that Jazz is easy. Jazz is extremely difficult - I know! I've studied it! I've played Snarky Puppy and Dirty Loops, too! But Pop Music is just as difficult, only in a different way. So why did I pick this song? Well, just as before - I could've picked any of the hundreds of songs from Max Martin's repertoire (I figured, this one would just come as the biggest shock, lol). And this man has taught me more about music, than everyone else combined. Do you want to really reach your listener? Do you want them to listen to your lyrics? Well, you need to capture their attention first. Making something that is genuinely catchy, that sounds great and has depth is by far the most difficult thing I've ever tried doing. I'm still figuring it out. And I have huge respect for the people who do it daily.

Sure, I came back to my roots in rock/metal music. It's what I love doing. I love aggressive sounds and screaming my lungs out! But going through my 'pop phase', what analyzing Max's songs has taught me is absolutely immeasurable. I do my best to apply it to everything I do.

I believe my songs have meaning. I genuinely believe that it can help people. But if I want to reach those people, I need to turn their head first. And making something that is simple at its core, WORK, is the way to do it.

Watch OLLIE 'Guardian Angel'