Q&A: Olivia Reid and Michaela Perau Capture a Beautiful Exploration of Love in “Tattoo Garden”
☆ BY Kaitlyn Campbell ☆
A UNIVERSAL LOVE LETTER DELIVERED WITH A FLOWER- there is no way to describe the innate beauty that is “Tattoo Garden”, a song off of Olivia Reid’s EP, Earth Water. Dressed with stunning visuals and kissed by the California sun, the music video, directed by Michaela Perau, feels both intimate and mysterious as we watch Perau’s sister, Kiana, weave in and out of the trees, smiling by what seems to be hills on hills of poppies. While the video is a visual triumph, what pulled my heart was the depth of the story.
There’s something so personal about tattoos. To choose something to permanently be etched onto your body might be used to convey experiences and represent yourself Michaela Perau said it best that, “tattoos are the map of a person.” “Tattoo Garden” refers not to a place, but to memories you’ve collected over the years with the person you love. It’s about knowing someone’s “map” so well that you’re able to find peace in them.
To know Olivia Reid is to love Olivia Reid. Having the opportunity to sit down and talk to both Olivia and Michaela, I was struck by not only how kind they are but how much they authentically love what they do. Olivia, besides being busy doing live performances and working on her next project, has a podcast called Song Start where she interviews other artists and encourages beginning songwriters to make music of their own. Michaela is not only an incredible director and photographer, but works as a producer as well. The video “Tattoo Garden” is the first collaboration by the pair, and I can’t wait to see what they produce next. Read below to hear about their amazing process of creating “Tattoo Garden.”
LUNA: How’s the fall in New York been treating you?
REID: I like it! I love the fall. I’m not ready for how quickly it turns into winter in like two weeks. You go from a nice beautiful sixty degrees to thirty overnight.
LUNA: Congrats on Tattoo Garden! I’ve watched the video multiple times and each time I’m struck with how stunning the visuals are. How did this collaboration come about?
PERAU: We actually met through a mutual friend of ours who put us both in a group text and said, “you’re both so talented, meet.'' So, we went for a coffee date and Olivia was working on the EP at the time, it was kinda a brainchild, and she shared some of her songs with me. I think “Tattoo Garden” is such a phenomenal song, so intimate, and it still gives me goosebumps in a special haunting way. It resonated with me.
REID: Our collaboration happened organically, in the best way, at the best time. We didn’t really talk about the song when we first met. With “Tattoo Garden” there’s a very clear story, but I wanted the visuals to take it to another place. Both of us have a connection to California and the California gardens provided so much beauty and energy to this song.
LUNA: Olivia, I’ve heard you say that the Tattoo Garden is more of an idea than a concrete place. Can you both tell me more about the concept behind the video and the song?
REID: The song is inspired by this person I met in LA who had all these stories behind her tattoos. Each one was a physical representation of what she’d been through. I thought that was really interesting, and I ended up exploring that idea. The “Tattoo Garden” refers to the name of the tattoo parlor, the girl, and it also refers to a place where you keep memories over the years. It’s ironic actually, because I don’t personally have any tattoos.
PERAU: Speaking to the way I tried to interpret it into a video, the song felt very romantic to me, but not necessarily a romantic relationship kind of love, more of an adoration. I wanted to capture a moment in time. We didn’t know at the beginning, but we ended up using my sister. I told Olivia that the video is such a lovely time capsule of my sister for me. From my perspective, it’s a love letter to her, and it follows Olivia’s song of wanting to capture memories with a person you love.
REID: At the center, it’s a queer love story, but it’s about also really seeing somebody, whether a friend or family member. I love how that evolved in the music video.
LUNA: I did some Instagram stalking, as I do with everyone I admire, and I loved your post on how “Tattoo Garden” is about finding peace in the person you love. Do you think peace is important in relationships and in making your art?
REID: During the pandemic, I realised that emotions aren’t just one color, there's always an undertone that makes it special.You can’t have triumph without experiencing defeat. With a person there’s an undertone of things you’ve been through, challenges you’ve overcome, and an understanding of each other’s trauma as a love language. Not looking for happiness in a person but living in their peace makes moments special and everyday life that much greater.
PERAU: Safety. The safety of peace. Safety is the crux of a relationship. It’s funny, because I don’t create in a peaceful way. Quarantine was a really bad time for me artistically, because I work better when I’m really busy. I didn’t feel like creating at all until this video and now I feel amazing.
LUNA: Besides quarantine, what were the big challenges, and what brought you joy?
PERAU: Olivia knows I hate editing. There’s actually nothing I hate more, so I made Olivia come over with takeout, and she sat with me while I got it done. She’s the best. I remember getting the footage back and thinking this was the best thing I’ve ever shot, it was such a gift in quarantine.
REID: As an independent artist, it’s always a challenge getting money together. Thinking about making art on a budget without taking out depth and beauty is hard. I’m very lucky to know creatives like Michaela who make art for the joy of it not the cost. My goal is that we both grow together.
LUNA: As a queer artist myself, I love to see repesentation in your songs! How important is it for you to uplift other LGBTQ in your industry?
REID: Hayley Kiyoko has always been an inspiration in the way they direct their videos and connect to their own visuals. I recently interviewed Sam Smith, and hearing what they have to go through to not feel out of place in a room really inspires me. They’ve been through so much in the public eye that it’s comforting to hear that there are the right collaborators out there and people who will make you feel safe being you. This is a big song for me, because it’s the first time I’m using she/her pronouns in my songs publicly. It took me a while to get there, but I thought about the thirteen year old me who would’ve felt seen and heard.
LUNA: Is there something you wish more people knew about music?
REID: I want everyone to know that they can create their own music. Song Start, the podcast I host with Spotify & Spotify for Artists, is all about the first step into your music journey. Something I’ve recently been thinking about is how many different processes there are. Being an artist means different things to different people. There’s so many different routes to the same destination so don’t force yourself into a process. Not everything can be your strength, that’s why you have collaborators.
PERAU: It’s the same in the film world, it can limit your work to think that you need expensive gear. In the “rule book” it’s always like if you can’t edit and don’t have the capacity, you can’t shoot a music video, that’s not true.
LUNA: As 2021 comes to an end, what are you looking forward to?
PERAU: I want to make more. I want to find time to make more and continue to have fun doing it. I want to prioritize my joy.
REID: Create more. I’ve been working on this EP for a long time, and this is the last video. I’m excited to put myself in the creative process again.
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RT @oliviaborch: new @LunaCollective out todayyy shot by @alltookev ✨ @P1H_official editorial design by me ! https://t.co/cvSCKsWB5D
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RT @rlyblonde: @AnnieDirusso for @LunaCollective shot by me #35mm #portra800 https://t.co/0UUJSCBGcH
