Songs built through story, voice and collaboration
After more than four decades of making music for artists, film, theatre and games, I’m increasingly interested in something more; finding the right people, building a great musical world together and giving the song enough space to become more than any one of us could have made alone.
Years of international collaboration - including work with Iron Maiden, Disney and Time Warner - have taught me what creative partnerships need. And perhaps more importantly, what they don’t. Less ego, less complication, more trust, curiosity and room for something unexpected to happen.
The work presented here is deliberately selective. Rather than showing everything I’ve written, I’ve chosen a few collaborations that represent where my music is heading now - including The Art of Breaking Up trilogy with Jolie and two contrasting songs with Josh Paulino: Just Tonight and Unsteady Hearts.
You can also explore press, reviews & interviews around recent releases. If you’re a singer or artist and think we might create something fantastic together, get in touch. No pitch deck required - a conversation is a good place to start.
Selected features, reviews and interviews about my latest releases
Conversations about the songs, collaborations and creative process.
Lipstick on the Exit Sign
Selected interviews, reviews and features for “Lipstick on the Exit Sign”, the final chapter of The Art of Breaking Up trilogy.
Kent Olsson
A wide-ranging interview about The Art of Breaking Up trilogy, storytelling through production, the creative collaboration with Jolie, and the musical direction beyond “Lipstick on the Exit Sign”.
Kent Olsson - Lipstick on the Exit Sign Interview
In-depth interview about storytelling, the creative relationship with Jolie, the making of “Lipstick on the Exit Sign”, The Art of Breaking Up trilogy, and the musical direction of what comes next.
Replay:me
Selected interviews, reviews and features for the single “Replay:me”.
INTERVIEW: Kent Olsson collaborates with Jolie
Interview about the collaboration and the release of “Replay:me”.
Inside “Replay:me”: A Story of Patience, Voice, and Feeling
Interview / feature focused on the story behind the release.
Just Tonight
Selected interviews, reviews and features for the single “Just Tonight”.
Kent Olsson chats “Just Tonight,” collaborating with Josh Paulino, and more
Interview about the single, the collaboration, and the creative process.
Selected reviews, features and editorial coverage.
Lipstick on the Exit Sign
Selected interviews, reviews and features for “Lipstick on the Exit Sign”, the final chapter of The Art of Breaking Up trilogy.
Kent Olsson - Lipstick on the Exit Sign
Indonesian review highlighting the track’s crisp pop melodies, rock-edged energy, tightly layered vocal harmonies and the confident sense of freedom carried by Jolie’s performance.
Kent Olsson - « Lipstick on the Exit Sign » : le son d’une liberté retrouvée
French review presenting the song as a declaration of independence: the point where heartbreak gives way to freedom, confidence and a refusal to keep negotiating with the past.
Kent Olsson - Lipstick on the Exit Sign (Review)
Review presenting the trilogy’s final chapter as a move from emotional exhaustion to personal liberation, praising Jolie’s expressive vocal performance, the cinematic pop-rock production and the song’s focus on reclaiming identity and self-worth.
Access Denied
Selected reviews, features and social coverage for the single “Access Denied”.
“Access Denied” di Kent Olsson
Italian review highlighting the track’s elegant dark electronic pop sound, cohesive concept and Jolie’s expressive vocal performance.
Kent Olsson - Access Denied
Review focusing on the cinematic production, Jolie’s vocal presence and the song’s transformation of rejection into self-determination.
Kent Olsson turns rejection into rebellion on “Access Denied”
Feature on the song’s dark cinematic club energy and its message of turning rejection into resilience and personal power.
When the Door Closes, Build Your Own: Kent Olsson Flips Rejection Into Power on Access Denied
Long-form review of the song’s empowerment theme, international collaboration and complete visual and musical identity.
Kent Olsson Turns Rejection Into Empowerment on “Access Denied”
Review praising the dark electronic textures, cinematic pop production, Jolie’s commanding vocal and the single’s conceptual strength.
Access Denied by Kent Olsson: Review
Review highlighting the sleek electronic-pop production, Jolie’s playful confidence and the release’s unified music, lyrics and imagery.
Access Denied - Facebook coverage
Social media coverage connected to the “Access Denied” release.
Access Denied - Instagram coverage
Social media coverage connected to the “Access Denied” release.
Replay:me
Selected interviews, reviews and features for the single “Replay:me”.
“Replay:mefeat Jolie , Kent Olsson ”: il battito pop-rock che unisce Svezia e Italia nel segno del talento
Italian feature on the cross-border pop-rock release.
Kent Olsson and Jolie strikes a chord with “Replay:me”
Review highlighting the song’s emotional pop-rock impact.
The Global Heartbeat of Memory and the Transnational Soul of Kent Olsson in Replay:me
Long-form review feature.
Just Tonight
Selected interviews, reviews and features for the single “Just Tonight”.
Kent Olsson - Just Tonight (Indie Pop)
Indie-pop spotlight.
Kent Olsson - Just Tonight
Single review & release coverage.
The Beauty of the Temporary: Kent Olsson and the Global Pulse of Just Tonight
Long-form review feature.
Kent Olsson crafts a cross-border anthem with “Just Tonight”
International collaboration focus.
Track of the Day: Kent Olsson - Just Tonight (2026)
“Track of the Day” pick.
Selected collaborations
The portfolio is intentionally small: a three-song story with Jolie, followed by two contrasting collaborations with Josh Paulino.
The opening chapter of The Art of Breaking Up: a pop-rock song about the magnetic pull of a relationship that keeps restarting even when both people know better.
The Art of Breaking Up · Chapter I
Chapter two turns rejection into resolve: a sharper, darker pop-rock track about the moment you stop negotiating with a relationship that is already over.
The Art of Breaking Up · Chapter II
The final chapter of the trilogy: heartbreak gives way to attitude, self-possession and the freedom to walk out without asking for permission.
The Art of Breaking Up · Chapter III
A cross-border pop-rock collaboration about choosing the present moment over promises of forever, carried by Josh Paulino’s powerful, lived-in voice.
Collaboration with Josh Paulino
A country-pop collaboration about vulnerability, uncertainty and choosing love without guarantees, brought to life by Josh Paulino’s raspy, soulful voice.
Collaboration with Josh Paulino
Why these songs exist, and what the voices brought to them.
Vocals: Jolie · Written & produced by Kent Olsson
The production blends melodic pop with a rock edge, leaving room for Jolie to move between vulnerability and determination. Her performance became central to the identity of the trilogy and helped turn the song from a private story into a character-driven performance.
Rather than treating collaboration as the final stage of a finished song, I prefer to leave space for the singer to change its emotional centre. “Replay:me” became the starting point for a larger story about leaving, returning and eventually choosing freedom.
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Vocals: Jolie · Written & produced by Kent Olsson
The sound is more direct and defiant, combining pop immediacy with darker electronic and rock textures. Jolie’s vocal brings the attitude the lyric needs without losing the human story underneath it.
For me, the collaboration is the point: the song starts with writing and production, but it only becomes complete when another artist brings personality, phrasing and lived emotion into the room.
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Vocals: Jolie · Written & produced by Kent Olsson
The title became the visual and lyrical centre of the song, turning an exit into a gesture of confidence rather than defeat. Jolie’s performance carries that shift beautifully, moving the trilogy from emotional friction toward release.
Together, the three songs form one continuous arc: replaying the past, refusing access and finally leaving a mark on the way out. That arc also reflects the kind of work I am most interested in now: songs built through collaboration, character and a clear emotional world.
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Vocals: Josh Paulino · Written & produced by Kent Olsson
Josh Paulino’s voice gave the song exactly the contrast I wanted - warmth, grit and vulnerability against a melodic pop-rock production. His delivery makes the central line feel less like a slogan and more like something being decided in real time.
The collaboration also became an important part of the song’s story beyond the studio. Our work together was explored in an interview with MEI News, while reviews and features from several publications highlighted the international nature of the project and the tension between intimacy and immediacy at the heart of the track.
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Vocals: Josh Paulino · Written & produced by Kent Olsson
At 79 BPM, the arrangement leaves room for the lyric to breathe. The song is about the uncertain space between fear and trust: two people choosing to move forward even when neither of them can promise where the road will lead.
It is also a good example of why I enjoy writing for specific voices. A song can exist on paper for years, but the right collaborator can reveal what it was trying to become all along.
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