I recently had the opportunity to exclusively interview Ammon & Liahona Olayan to learn five random facts about them and what lesson did they take away from their American Idol experience. Check out my interview with Ammon & Liahona Olayan below:
Loryn: What hurdles have y'all had to overcome while preparing for y'all self-penned Album?
Ammon: The hurdles I think I have had to overcome is really trusting the ideas I come up with. There’s a lot of times where I feel like the idea I have while writing music is not the best. But that’s where hope comes in and you push through and eventually see a great product at the end.
Liahona: One of the biggest hurdles for sure is when I get writer's block. If you’re a writer, you can relate to this problem without a doubt. There are certain times where I feel the creativity in my mind just completely stops, almost as if it’s cut off from me. And really the only remedy is to just let time pass by and relax. If you think about it too much and stress about it, it just gets worse.
Loryn: What lesson did y'all take away from your American Idol experience?
Ammon: My American Idol experience taught me the importance of having fun. If it’s not fun, go take a break and remember and visualize what you are doing and then go get it. It’s easy to get down on yourself and get stuck in the rut of the business with all the practicing, rehearsing, staging, interviews, photoshoots, camera rolls, and so much more. It can get really overwhelming sometimes. So, you have to step back during those moments and remember why you’re there and get grounded and focus again and then have fun with all of it!
Liahona: In my American Idol experience, I learned that there is always something new to learn. It’s difficult to really grasp how this industry works because everything is always moving and there are so many different parts to it! Having this type of music career and always performing definitely keeps you on your toes and American Idol was a perfect example of that. You never know what’s going to happen. But if the unexpected comes, the best thing that I learned is just to roll with it and have fun.
Loryn: What's a career highlight y'all are proud of so far?
Ammon: I was really proud of writing my new single “Always Gonna Be Us” and I was so happy with the production and the finished product. In this particular song, I really feel a strong connection to it because it expresses something deep down inside that I desire in the future. Another career highlight is definitely getting a golden ticket on American Idol. That was awesome!
Liahona: One of the highlights of my career that I’m most proud of is making it to the top 24 of American Idol. To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to make it that far so that just goes to show that I have much more potential than I give myself credit for. That really gave me the drive and vision to keep pushing forward in my music career and pursuing this dream of mine.
Loryn: What's a song y'all currently have on repeat?
Ammon: On repeat is the song I wrote, “Always Gonna Be Us” and “Love and War” because of the cool baseline.
Liahona: A song that I currently have on repeat right now is “More Than A Woman” by The Bee Gees. I actually have never heard that song before until TikTok and the tune literally makes me so happy!
Loryn: What is something people would be surprised to learn about y'all?
Ammon: I have not kissed a girl yet which I guess is a little surprising to a lot of people. I’m saving it for that special someone that I will meet one day in the future. My parents also didn’t let me have a cellphone until I was 17 years old. I think I was the only person, besides my sister, in our whole high school that didn’t’ have a cellphone! When girls would ask for my number, I would have to give them my mom’s number and then they weren’t interested in me anymore. My mom was so proud of that! And honestly, I didn’t mind it either. I’m actually glad that I didn’t get a phone until I was older.
Liahona: Something people would be surprised to learn about me is that I have never said a cuss word in my life! I also hate wearing make-up and my parents didn’t let me have a cell phone until I was 16 years old. And they only let me have one because I had to do my music business from my phone and I couldn’t keep using their phone. I’ve also never seen a rated R movie. In fact, nothing past PG-13. And I’m really grateful that my parents raised us to have clean standards and to make the best choices in our lives.
Be sure to stay updated with AmmonandLiahona by checking out their website: https://ammonandliahona.live/. Also, be sure to follow their social media platforms below:
IG: @ammonandliahona
IG: @ammonolayan
IG: @Liahonaolayan