“Made Friends” by Olivia Cox Feels Like Accepting Reality and Dancing Anyway

A thing about music is, you can’t skip the good ones, and the ones you think aren’t good, will end up growing on you and then you realize every song has someone it was made for. So if you’ve spent any time lately feeling like you’re just barely treading water while life throws waves at your head, then I think Olivia Cox has written your new theme song. The Belfast-based artist just released “Made Friends,” and it’s the kind of pop track that manages to be both deep and incredibly catchy at the same time. Like there’s no two ways about it, the song has got it beat on point to an extent where it keeps ringing in your ears.

You may be wondering how the song has got such crisp production, well Olivia recorded this one in Northern Ireland with producer Aaron Brennan. And often a time we ignore the magic producers brings to songs, but this one can’t be ignored. The way she lets the vocals blends in, and the way the song starts are just enough to keep you glued and entertained. Well it’s no rocket science when you grew up listening to the greats—everyone from the Beatles to Amy Winehouse, those influences are heard throughout the track and you can hear that love for soulful storytelling in her voice. But don’t expect a vintage tribute act. This is very much a modern pop song made for 2026.

The unique thing about the track is how it uses water as a metaphor for the daily grind. Sometimes life just keeps drowning you, and you will come back to the surface, then it pushes you back again, and you still come back, but when that pressure is too strong, it’s when you need embrace that pressure and treat it like nothing and keep coming back up, so you don’t drown completely. That stress of going through every struggle to keep your head high is what she talking about. And that’s why the title, “Made Friends,” refers to making peace with the struggle itself. So instead of fighting reality, she’s just wants us to get on with it. In a way like yeah, that happened and it what it is. which honestly feels like the only way to survive these days.

Now something interesting about this song is how it moves. Olivia likes to keep people on their toes, so there are some clever twists in the beat that stop it from being just another predictable song. It goes high and low, mimicking the ups and downs of a rough day. It’s addictive, a little bit salty, and very honest.

Olivia isn’t slowing down, either. She’s heading to Berlin soon to record a full EP, and there are whispers of a tour later this year. One critic already said she’s “poised to conquer pop globally,” which is a pretty big claim, but after hearing this single, I can see why. If you need a song that understands your problems but still makes you want to move, give “Made Friends” a spin. It’s a bold start to the year and a great introduction to an artist who actually has something to say.

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