New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Out of the gate underground artist Lio O'liva has hit the music scene hard with the release of his freshman album Prosthetic Soul, available now via Youtube, Soundcloud, iTunes and Google Play. With the release of his visual R&B/hip hop album, the 24-year-old Bronx artist tells a tale of disability, immigration, love and overcoming adversity. Born with a severe disability in Honduras, O'liva moved to the United States when he was a small child. Here, he underwent surgery and received prosthetic legs and his family eventually settled in the Bronx, where O'liva grew up and developed a strong love of American soul music. He counts Stevie Wonder, Usher,
Musiq Soulchild,
Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo among his influences.
A multi-instrumentalist who plays trumpet, guitar and piano and sings in English and Spanish, O'liva wrote all the songs on Prosthetic Soul himself and produced the album with the help of Jeffrey Resto Jr. The videos were shot by a team of directors including Kamari Thomas, Japhyn Cavellos and
Daniel Maloney.
"I believe what makes me different from many artists out currently is my demeanor. It's as if I have an old soul. I'm a real human being that has dealt and still deals with his imperfections," says O'liva. "I try and learn from every experience and pour myself fully into anything I do. I want my music to be a peek into my soul and what listeners get from that experience is indescribable. It's the epitome of a vibe, the pinnacle of expression because you can feel my story within my words."
As a multi-talented singer, songwriter, director and visionary, O'liva was raised in the South Bronx after a tremendous health battle and amputations at a young age. Born with a rare condition called with Fibular Hemimelia in a remote village on the Northern Coast of Honduras, O'liva was discovered there by an American surgeon and brought to Seton Medical Center in Northern California at the age of 10 months to proceed with amputations of both legs and a chance at being able to walk. He views the experience as "a true chance at life." After successful operations and years of rehabilitation, O'liva and his mother moved to the Bronx. With the constant uncertainty of a stable home, Lio realized that the most consistent thing in his life was music. Taking music lessons, he learned to mentally overcome his physical disability. Combining his talent and his story, he now lives to spread a message through music understanding that it could potentially help out others as it did for him.
Listen to Prosthetic Soul at https://m.soundcloud.com/lio-oliva and watch the visual album at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeaUYREd6qM-HWPIVDyoM5Q/featured. Follow Lio O'liva on Instagram at @prostheticsoul.
