# Olivia (singer)
**Olivia** (Olivia Theresa Longott) is an American R&B singer from Brooklyn, New York City, best known as the "First Lady of G-Unit", the first female artist signed to 50 Cent's G-Unit Records, and for singing the hook on 50 Cent's chart-topping 2005 single "Candy Shop".[1](https://50cent.fandom.com/wiki/Olivia) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography) She began her career as the first artist signed to [Clive Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/clive-davis)'s J Records and scored a Top 20 pop hit with "Bizounce" before joining G-Unit.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Olivia Theresa Longott, known mononymously as Olivia; also recorded as "Lady O" and "O.O."[1](https://50cent.fandom.com/wiki/Olivia) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography) |
| Born | Brooklyn, New York; her birth year is given as 1981 in a 2005 interview in her own words, while AllMusic lists 1980[3](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/olivia-bouncing-back/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography) |
| First label deal | First artist signed to Clive Davis's J Records, in 2000[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography) |
| Signature hits | "Bizounce" (2001), No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100; featured on 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" (2005), No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography) • [4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) |
| G-Unit years | Joined around 2004 as the label's first and only female artist; the planned album *Behind Closed Doors* was never commercially released, and she parted ways with the label in 2007[4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) |
| Television | Original cast member of VH1's *Love & Hip Hop: New York*, appearing in its first three seasons[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography) • [5](https://love-hip-hop.fandom.com/wiki/Olivia) |
| Recent work | Album *You Are* (2024), her first full-length release since her 2001 debut; single "Venom" (2026) on her own Perfectly Pitched label, with the album *Shining Girl* announced for 2027[4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) • [6](https://www.musictalkers.com/latest-news/editors-picks/95-interviews/10441-olivia-talks-%E2%80%9Cvenom%2C%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Ccandy-shop%E2%80%9D-billion-stream-success%2C-g-unit-what%E2%80%99s-next) |
## Early life and J Records
Olivia was born in Brooklyn, in the Flatbush neighborhood, and moved to Jamaica as a newborn, attending school there until about age eight before returning to New York and settling in Queens.[3](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/olivia-bouncing-back/) In a 2005 AllHipHop interview she described her background as mixed, with Indian, Cuban, and Jamaican heritage.[3](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/olivia-bouncing-back/) AllMusic's biography records that she was born with perfect pitch, developed her voice in the church choir, sang [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson) songs for friends, and took voice, guitar, and piano lessons as a teenager.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography)
**J Records.** In 2000 she signed with J Records, the newly founded label of Clive Davis, as its first signed artist.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography) • [4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) A Billboard profile from April 2001 described the then 20-year-old singer-songwriter as an "R&B ingénue" whose big break had come with her self-titled J Records debut, *Olivia*, scheduled for May 15 of that year; the piece noted that her last name was Longe at the time and that she had been introduced to Davis through producer Joshua Thompson.[7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2001/BB-2001-04-28.pdf)
Her debut single, "Bizounce", reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001 as the lead single from *Olivia*.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography) The album's commercial follow-through fell short of expectations. In her own account, she was the label's experimental first signing and the company was unsure what direction to take her; she said she had to follow what the company wanted rather than her own instincts, and the relationship ended.[3](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/olivia-bouncing-back/) A retrospective TVSA biography states that the self-titled debut eventually sold close to 500,000 copies.[8](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=14460)
## The G-Unit era
After leaving J Records she signed with Interscope, and 50 Cent, having heard her music there, invited her to become "the first lady of G-Unit"; she joined [G-Unit Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/g-unit-records) around 2004 as the label's first and only female artist and its sole singer, inside a crew built almost entirely around hardcore rap.[3](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/olivia-bouncing-back/) • [4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) She said at the time that her role was to diversify the perception of G-Unit and speak from a woman's perspective.[3](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/olivia-bouncing-back/)
**"Candy Shop".** In 2005, 50 Cent's second major-label album *The Massacre* included "Candy Shop", featuring Olivia, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made her voice recognizable to a mass audience.[4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) She also appeared on the "Best Friend" remix with 50 Cent and on Shaggy's "Wild 2Nite", and released G-Unit-era solo singles including "Twist It" featuring [Lloyd Banks](https://www.edgepedia.org/lloyd-banks) and "So Sexy".[4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) • [9](https://music.apple.com/bw/artist/olivia-longott/1116489) In a 2026 interview she described "Candy Shop" as having reached a billion streams.[6](https://www.musictalkers.com/latest-news/editors-picks/95-interviews/10441-olivia-talks-%E2%80%9Cvenom%2C%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Ccandy-shop%E2%80%9D-billion-stream-success%2C-g-unit-what%E2%80%99s-next)
**The album that never came.** While signed to G-Unit/Interscope she prepared a project titled *Behind Closed Doors*, with contributions from [Dr. Dre](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-dre) and appearances from 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and [Tony Yayo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-yayo), but it never received an official commercial release.[3](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/olivia-bouncing-back/) • [4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) By 2007 she and G-Unit had parted ways, and material from the shelved project later circulated online.[4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) An unrelated episode from this period drew public attention in 2009, when a leaked track titled "Control" was billed as a collaboration with Drake; Drake denied ever working with her, stating, "I've never worked with Olivia and I apologize to any fan who was duped into thinking that 'Control' was a collaboration of mine", and her manager said they had never claimed otherwise.[10](https://www.bet.com/article/ecqssd/olivia-s-manager-we-never-said-that-we-worked-with-drake)
## After G-Unit
Olivia continued recording independently. Her post-G-Unit single "December", released in the early 2010s, reached No. 76 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and she followed with "Sun Don't Shine" featuring [Sean Kingston](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-kingston) in 2014, the same year she published the book *Release Me: My Life, My Words*.[4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography) She also appeared in the films *Supermodel* and *The Man in 3B*.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography)
**Television.** Olivia was one of the original four cast members of VH1's *Love & Hip Hop: New York*, appearing as a main cast member in the first two seasons and in a reduced role in season three; the show's early seasons followed her efforts to rebuild a solo career after a series of career misfires, and she later returned for the series' tenth-anniversary season.[5](https://love-hip-hop.fandom.com/wiki/Olivia) • [4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent)
**Return to albums.** In 2024, more than two decades after her debut, she released *You Are*, her first official studio album since *Olivia* (2001).[4](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent) Her 2026 single "Venom", about leaving a toxic relationship, was released through her own label, Perfectly Pitched, with distribution through ADA Nordics and Warner Music; she said retaining creative and executive control mattered because early in her career she had to take the direction executives chose for her. She has announced a forthcoming album, *Shining Girl*, for 2027.[6](https://www.musictalkers.com/latest-news/editors-picks/95-interviews/10441-olivia-talks-%E2%80%9Cvenom%2C%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Ccandy-shop%E2%80%9D-billion-stream-success%2C-g-unit-what%E2%80%99s-next)
## Other singers known as Olivia
The mononym Olivia has also been used by other recording artists. **Olivia Dean**, the British soul-pop singer-songwriter Olivia Lauryn Dean, released the debut album *Messy* (2023) and the follow-up *The Art of Loving*, and won the [Grammy Award for Best New Artist](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-award-for-best-new-artist) in 2026.[11](https://apnews.com/article/8cb4eee78c49fe6eb13273fa164035e9) • [12](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/goings-on/the-modern-r-and-b-of-olivia-dean-and-baby-rose) **Olivia Rodrigo** is the American pop singer-songwriter whose 2021 debut album *[Sour](https://www.edgepedia.org/sour-album)* made her one of the biggest new pop stars of the decade.[13](https://time.com/6050587/olivia-rodrigo-sour/) A separate Japanese singer known as Olivia, formerly of the group D&D, released the albums *Synchronicity* (2000) and *The Lost Lolli* (2004) in an alternative rock style.[14](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0001568573)
## References
1. [Olivia, 50 Cent Wiki (Fandom)](https://50cent.fandom.com/wiki/Olivia)
2. [Olivia: Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic (Andy Kellman)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0000889870/discography)
3. [Olivia: Bouncing Back, AllHipHop (Grouchy Greg Watkins, March 21, 2005)](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/olivia-bouncing-back/)
4. [Whatever Happened to Olivia? The Former First Lady of G-Unit Who Sang Alongside 50 Cent, Nolazine](https://www.nolazine.com/post/whatever-happened-to-olivia-the-former-first-lady-of-g-unit-who-sang-alongside-50-cent)
5. [Olivia, Love & Hip Hop Wiki (Fandom)](https://love-hip-hop.fandom.com/wiki/Olivia)
6. [Olivia talks "Venom," "Candy Shop" Billion-Stream Success, G-Unit & What's Next, Music Talkers (Andrew Braithwaite, September 30, 2026)](https://www.musictalkers.com/latest-news/editors-picks/95-interviews/10441-olivia-talks-%E2%80%9Cvenom%2C%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Ccandy-shop%E2%80%9D-billion-stream-success%2C-g-unit-what%E2%80%99s-next)
7. [Patience Pays Off For J's, Billboard, April 28, 2001](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2001/BB-2001-04-28.pdf)
8. [Olivia Longott, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=14460)
9. [Olivia Longott, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/bw/artist/olivia-longott/1116489)
10. [Olivia's Manager: "We Never Said That We Worked With Drake", BET](https://www.bet.com/article/ecqssd/olivia-s-manager-we-never-said-that-we-worked-with-drake)
11. [Music Review: Olivia Dean breaks down 'The Art of Loving' with jazzy soul-pop sounds, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/8cb4eee78c49fe6eb13273fa164035e9)
12. [The Modern R. & B. of Olivia Dean and Baby Rose, The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/goings-on/the-modern-r-and-b-of-olivia-dean-and-baby-rose)
13. [How Olivia Rodrigo Became America's Biggest New Pop Star, TIME](https://time.com/6050587/olivia-rodrigo-sour/)
14. [Olivia: Biography, Discography & Albums, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/olivia-mn0001568573)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 1990s and 2000s › R&B singers of the 2000s › Surnames M to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license