Ellie Oliva is causing a stir in the Topeka music scene. She has performed at venues such as the Celtic Fox's Jam for Dan, Classic Bean, and Evergy Plaza, featuring a lineup of cover songs from her favorite pop and country performers, including Megan Moroney, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, and Luke Combs. Recently, she rocked the Happy Basset Brewing Co. as the opening act for Chance Encounter with an hour-long set featuring her versions of Shaboozey's "The Bar Song (Tipsy)" and Gwen Stefani's "Just a Girl."
Ellie turns 12 years old this August, just before starting seventh grade at Seaman Middle School.
Surprised? That's a common reaction when Ellie takes the stage with her teal guitar--until she starts to sing. Sometimes the audience doesn't even realize her age until she tells them. The reactions are typically looks of disbelief.
Ellie remembers when playing at Evergy Plaza, "It was a little funny. They were kind of like, 'Sure, we'll let an 11-year-old up there to play a couple of songs.' Then, not even halfway through my first song, the guy running it came up to my mom and said, 'She can keep playing if she wants.'"
Her mom, Cory Oliva, says singing was a part of her daughter's life since day one. "We would go on a family trip and be singing along to music in the car. Then the rest of us would get quiet and listen to Ellie."
When Ellie was around two or three years old, a neighbor gave her a pink Minnie Mouse guitar that she carried everywhere to strum it, along with a fake microphone. Then, when she was five, she got her first guitar.
Finding guitar lessons for someone that young is difficult. Most teachers prefer to wait until a student is at least 10 years old. However, Marc Houser was willing to take a chance on Ellie when she was seven.
"I had an attitude," Ellie says, with a smile. "When I was little, I just wanted things to go the easy way, and that's not how it goes. So, there were a lot of tears. I just love the patience that Mark had with me. I don't see him as much now. I have apps on my phone that will show me the chords to a song and how to strum them. But sometimes it's not clear, so I do text or call him. I love how I can just always talk to Marc."
The first time Ellie's talent was recognized in public was at a Kids' Jam with Kyler Carpenter at Doughboyz Pizzeria. She got up and sang Lauren Daigle's "Hold on to Me", crushing the song. From that point on, he started helping Ellie secure performance opportunities.
Cory is both Ellie's manager (Ellie calls her Momager) and Director of Clinical Education in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Washburn University. She is serious about overseeing Ellie's singing career, particularly considering her age. While there is a TikTok account for Ellie's music (@guitargirlmom37), Cory does the posts since Ellie is not yet allowed on social media. She is also careful about selecting the performance venues and, much to her daughter's dismay, the lyrics of the songs.
While music is Ellie's primary focus, she also lives a well-rounded life. At school, she's an honor roll student, and she plays on a club volleyball team. She's also aware of how challenging a music career can be, so her backup plan is veterinary school.
But for now, music is her focus. She says, "I just love hearing the applause. The first gig that I ever had, just hearing that applause made me feel like, oooohhh, maybe I actually can do this. All of the gigs that I've gotten, I'm forever grateful for how everyone has taken a chance on me."