Meet Octavia

Octavia, was born and grew up in Romania. Memories of staring at the sky through swaying branches of tall walnut trees still permeate her daydreams, along with running through open fields and feeling the warm breeze as she picked from the family’s raspberry and blackberry bushes. And, she’ll never forget reaching the peak of Retezat Mountain in Romania after a day-long hike and feeling like she’d conquered the world. She fondly recalls her father teaching her an Italian song, strumming along with his beloved guitar. And, of course, her feeling of “coming home” when she stepped onto the stage at the age of nine to act in the school play. She first played Snow White at age 5, and would take on lead roles after that. Ironically, Octavia felt nervous at her first piano recital, not knowing that music would one day become her greatest passion.

At the age of twelve, Octavia and her family moved to California, and she found it hard to fit in. High school proved to be a challenge, both in class and at home. Misunderstood continuously by her peers, and haunted by family health scares, Octavia internalized her hardships. She sought solace in music. With time, she began to come into her own, discovering her own sense of empowerment. Slowly learning how to become comfortable in body and mind, Octavia started to take the reins of her creative life.

While at university, Octavia would find a fellow artist, Kevin, to confide in and grow with. He soon would become her best friend, someone who encouraged her to pursue and develop her talents and in turn she would do the same. These three years in college were the foundation of her artistry, but both Kevin and Octavia would soon transfer. Octavia kept in touch with him, continuing to share her artistic pursuits until one day she discovered she had lost Kevin to suicide. (getting a dreaded phone call that Kevin had gone missing and would later find out that he would fall victim to suicide)

Although the pain and guilt riddled her, seeing Kevin’s positive impact on the surrounding communities, she recalled a teaching from scripture in Psalms 90:12 that asks God to “teach us to see how short our lives are, so that we may have hearts of wisdom.” She tried to keep herself busy, but losing Kevin was a transformational moment. At both Kevin’s funeral and celebration of life, Octavia saw the incredibly positive impact he’d made on people’s lives. Losing Kevin will forever be ...

In 2016, Octavia graduated from UC Berkeley, earning a degree in Visual Culture. Her experience at Berkeley changed her, transforming the once unsure girl into a courageous woman who would be ready for anything. This newly forged mentality, supported by academic, social, and spiritual success, turned to the stage.

Music had been Octavia’s solace, and music would be where she turned once more. She drew upon her childhood freedom, that sense of anything-can-happen that led her to the creative path she found herself upon.

Soon, Octavia began to center her creative pursuit around one thing: healing through music.

As a survivor of an eating disorder, Octavia found the road to recovery was both spiritual and mental. Difficult experiences led her to seek unsuccessful outlets. But her faith in God, the power of prayer, and a renewed desire to create have brought effective healing worth sharing. Though recovery is an ongoing process, Octavia understands that healing comes in layers. Her approach to recovery is day by day. She has learned to center herself in the moment, knowing she can never truly walk away from it. But there is peace in knowing that, and progression comes in both small and big accomplishments.

Choosing well means acknowledging that you’re moving forward, and Octavia continually reminds herself of this. But Octavia also recognizes that not everyone is at the same stage of recovery, and it’s this acceptance (and the love it’s based on) that informs her music

For Octavia, music is an inspiration, a starting point for people to know they are worth fighting for. With each song, Octavia crafts music that is meant to acknowledge those deep-down emotions we sometimes do not want to recognize. Her music allows one to breathe and begin a journey toward empowerment. This is why Octavia sings and why she fights for openness, compassion, and creativity every day. A Romanian immigrant, a woman and an artist. Octavia, is now hoping to share her lifelong journey and love of music with you.