Spotlight on Olivia - Dynamite

For most superstars, the road to fame and fortune is a long hard climb. In becoming one of America's favorite songstresses, Olivia Newton-John has come farther than most - all the way from the other side of the world! Not too long ago she was an unknown singer in Australia. But since she left the continent down under, it's been a straight and steady ride up to the very top of today's music scene.

Olivia has racked up more musical awards in a few short years than most performers receive in a lifetime. She had three number one singles in a row: "Let Me Be There," "If You Love Me, Let Me Know," and "Have You Never Been Mellow?" Her albums have sold over a million copies and her concerts are all standing room only. She has won not one, but two Grammys, one of the highest honors a musician can achieve. Her Grammy for the best female country singer marks the first time the award has been given to a singer from outside the U.S. If Olivia keeps winning awards and honors, she may need more than the two houses she rents in London and California to store them.

How does she do it? Well, having a face like hers helps or does it? Blond-haired and blue-eyed, Olivia has the kind of good looks that could make a model jealous. Even though her fans would insist that she's made it on her singing, many critics say she's just another pretty face. But in her defense, she points out that she had her first hit in the U.S. with Bob Dylan's "If Not For You" before most people here had ever seen her.

It may sound silly, but being pretty can create problems, she says. According to Olivia, some people don't take her seriously as a performer because all they see in her is her looks. Then they don't listen to your music. Not to be taken seriously when you feel you are a serious performer is very frustrating, Olivia adds. It can shake your confidence when you don't know whether people like you for your singing or for your looks.

Beautiful or not, Olivia has spent many years working on her musical career. She was born in England, but she moved to Australia when she was five. Her Welsh father is a university professor, but he almost be came an opera singer instead. Music runs in the Welsh blood and it was with me all through my childhood. My father had thousands of records, mostly classical, but he also gave me Tennessee Ernie Ford records. My other influences were Ray Charles, Nina Simone, and Joan Baez, she says.

When she was in high school, Olivia started singing just for something to do. When the group that she was in began taking more time than her schoolwork, she had to quit. But later Olivia decided that she really wanted to be a singer, so she kept on working. Luckily for her, she won a talent contest that included a trip to England. Once back in England, Olivia began singing with groups until she recorded If Not For You in 1971. She became a regular performer on British TV, and the next thing she knew she was a star. Now after two years in America, she's a full-fledged superstar.

he success is a bit mind boggling, she says, But it doesn't scare me. I know popularity can come and go. I've seen it happen to others and it could happen to me. You just can't get caught up in the glamour of it all, because if it does all end tomorrow, you end up broken hearted.

Well, Olivia doesn't have to worry too much. The way she keeps gaining fans and selling records, there's no way her fans will forget her. After all, Olivia, they honestly love you!