How Olivia Hahn Found Her Voice After Loss and Is Using It to Fight Cancer

Olivia Hahn

When Olivia Hahn lost her mother to cancer at just fourteen, the grief was overwhelming. The shy and introspective teenager from Victoria, British Columbia turned to writing as a way to cope with a loss that felt impossible to understand. What began as private words on a page soon grew into something much larger. Hahn wrote a book to help other teens facing grief, followed by two poetry collections that gave voice to emotions many young people struggle to express.

Now nineteen, Hahn is stepping into the spotlight as a pop singer and songwriter whose music carries the same honesty that first filled her journals. Her upcoming album, Don’t Stop Believing, arriving in March 2026, tells a story of love, loss, and the courage to keep going. Through songs like “Freesias & Wine,” Hahn honors the memory of her mother, Patricia Kilshaw, while raising awareness and funds for cancer causes that remain close to her heart.

In this Women’s History Month conversation with PVM Magazine, Olivia Hahn reflects on the woman who shaped her life, the healing power of creativity, and why sharing her story has become part of her purpose.

You were fourteen when your world changed. What did grief teach you about yourself that nothing else could have?

Olivia Hahn: Grief taught me how strong the human heart can be. At fourteen, I didn’t think I could survive losing my mom, but somehow you keep waking up, you keep breathing, and you keep moving forward.

It also taught me that emotions aren’t something to hide. Pain, love, sadness — those are the things that actually connect us. I think that lesson shaped not only who I am as a person, but the artist I’m becoming. My music comes from real places because of that loss.

During Women’s History Month, a lot of people talk about legacy. When you think about your mom, what part of her are you consciously carrying with you every day?

Olivia: My mom had this incredible warmth and kindness about her. She made people feel seen and loved, even in the smallest moments.

That’s something I try to carry with me every day — how she treated people. Whether it’s through my music, conversations with fans, or the causes I support, I want people to feel that same sense of compassion she gave so naturally.

Writing became your safe space after her passing. Was there a specific night or moment when you realized, “This is how I’m going to survive this”?

Olivia: There were a lot of nights when I couldn’t sleep, and the house felt really quiet without her. One night, I just started writing everything I was feeling down in a notebook — memories, questions, anger, love, all of it.

I remember finishing and feeling a tiny bit lighter. That was the moment I realized writing was helping me breathe again. From then on, it became my way of processing everything I couldn’t say out loud.

When you released Healing Our Wounded Hearts, you were still grieving yourself. What did it feel like to offer comfort to others while you were still healing?

Olivia: It felt incredibly meaningful, but also very humbling. I wrote that book while I was still very much in the middle of my own grief.

But what I learned is that healing doesn’t have to be finished for you to help someone else. Sometimes people heal together. Knowing that my words could comfort someone else going through loss made me feel like my pain had purpose.

Olivia Hahn

You’ve said you were shy growing up. What was the first time you stepped on stage and felt like, “I belong here”?

Olivia: I remember one performance where I stepped on stage and, for the first time, the nerves disappeared once I started singing. Instead of feeling scared, I felt free.

It was like everything inside me finally had a place to go. That was the moment I thought, this is where I’m supposed to be.

Your album is titled Don’t Stop Believing. Believing in what? Yourself, your purpose, something bigger?

Olivia: Honestly, all of those things. The phrase means a lot to me because my mom and I used to sing that song together at karaoke. After she passed, it became a reminder to keep believing even when life feels impossible.

So the album is about believing in yourself, believing in your dreams, and believing that even after loss or heartbreak, there’s still hope ahead.

“Freesias & Wine” feels like a conversation frozen in time. When you sing it, are you revisiting memories, or does it feel like creating new ones with her spirit?

Olivia: It honestly feels like both. When I sing it, I’m definitely revisiting memories — the little moments we shared, the laughter, the everyday things that meant everything. But at the same time, it also feels like I’m still connected to her in some way.

Music has this beautiful way of keeping people alive through memories and emotion.

You’re raising money for cancer causes alongside your music career. How do you balance honoring your mom’s story without letting grief define your entire identity?

Olivia: My mom’s story will always be part of me, but it’s not the only part of me. Honoring her through cancer awareness and fundraising feels like turning something painful into something positive. But I also remind myself that she would want me to live fully — to chase my dreams, laugh, create, and experience life.

So I carry her with me, but I also keep moving forward.

At nineteen, a lot of artists are still figuring themselves out. How do you stay grounded while the industry starts moving fast around you?

Olivia: I try to stay connected to the reasons I started making music in the first place. It was never about fame — it was about expressing emotions and connecting with people. Spending time with family, writing honestly, and remembering where I came from keep me grounded even when things start moving quickly.

As a young woman in pop music, do you feel pressure to fit a mold — or has your story made you less willing to compromise who you are?

Olivia: There’s definitely pressure in the industry sometimes, but my story has made me much less willing to compromise who I am.

When you go through something as life-changing as losing a parent, you realize authenticity matters more than fitting into someone else’s idea of who you should be. I want my music and my message to stay real.

So much of your work centers on vulnerability. Has being open publicly ever felt scary, or has it felt freeing?

Olivia: It can be scary sometimes because you’re sharing very personal parts of your life with the world. But at the same time, it’s incredibly freeing.

Every time someone tells me they relate to a song or that it helped them through something difficult, it reminds me why vulnerability is powerful.

If your mom could hear the finished album in March 2026, what do you hope she would recognize in it? Her daughter’s pain, her growth, or her strength?

Olivia: I think she would recognize all three. She would hear the pain because grief is still part of my story, but I hope she would also hear the growth and strength that came from it.

More than anything, I hope she would recognize the little girl who used to sing karaoke with her and realize that her daughter never stopped believing.