Pop-R&B singer and songwriter Olivia Prado unveils her new six-track EP, Dirty In The Sand, an emotionally candid collection that moves through the exhilaration, uncertainty, intimacy, and vulnerability of falling in love. Balancing playful energy with deeper introspection, the project finds Prado embracing the complicated emotions that come with opening yourself up to another person.
Despite its provocative title, Dirty In The Sand carries a meaning that reaches far beyond its cheeky first impression. Drawing from childhood memories of being free to play, explore, and get dirty, Prado reimagines the idea of “getting your hands dirty” through an adult perspective. On the EP, that concept becomes a metaphor for taking emotional risks, allowing yourself to experience love fully, and accepting the inevitable messiness that comes with it.
“‘Dirty In The Sand’ isn’t just a cheeky innuendo—it’s about getting messy with life. Attraction, connection, doubt, heartbreak. Letting yourself fully experience it all. The project starts off flirty, playful, and adventurous before becoming self-conscious, introspective, worried, yearning, and heart-wrenching. By the end, it’s left asking one simple question: ‘Am I enough?’” Prado explains.
That emotional progression gives the EP its narrative arc. What begins with flirtation and curiosity gradually develops into something more vulnerable, as excitement gives way to uncertainty, longing, and the fear that can accompany emotional intimacy. Rather than presenting love as a straightforward journey, Prado allows the contradictions and imperfections to remain part of the story.
The EP also reflects Prado’s experience building a career as an independent artist. Over the past several years, she has taken a hands-on approach to nearly every part of her creative operation, from songwriting and creative direction to marketing, visuals, and release strategy. Much like the metaphor behind Dirty In The Sand, her independent path has required her to embrace the imperfect, unpredictable process of building something entirely her own.
Raised in California’s Bay Area, Prado developed her connection to performance at an early age through singing, dancing, and musical theater before eventually beginning to write her own songs. Those formative experiences established the foundation for her artistry, while a transformative year abroad in Sydney during college and the loss of her father ultimately gave her a new perspective on the life she wanted to pursue.
Now based in Los Angeles, Prado draws from the nostalgia of early-2000s pop while incorporating the intimacy, groove, and emotional directness of contemporary R&B. The combination gives her music a distinctly personal balance of familiar pop sensibilities and modern R&B songwriting.
Following her 2024 debut album Liv Laugh Love, Dirty In The Sand represents the next stage of Olivia Prado’s artistic evolution. Across six tracks, she turns the highs and uncertainties of love into an honest exploration of attraction, vulnerability, heartbreak, and self-worth—ultimately embracing the idea that sometimes getting messy is the only way to discover what you really want.
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