Deadbeat Girl, or Val Olson, is an indie-rock alternative singer-songwriter from South Florida, currently residing in New York City. From a young age, Val gravitated towards their parents’ record and CD collection, falling in love with the grunge movement of the nineties and alternative rock ballads of the early 2000’s. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Foo Fighters, and Death Cab For Cutie were on constant replay in their childhood home. Over time, Deadbeat Girl would find a passion for playing a myriad of instruments, teaching themselves how to play in their childhood bedroom. This then grew into a passion for music production, studying the works of the punk/grunge movements, and modern producers like Finneas O’Connell. 

What blossomed from their bedroom studio sessions was a desire to create music to share with others. After getting accepted into New York University’s Music Technology program and moving to New York City shortly after turning 18, Deadbeat Girl, the artist, began to take shape. In classrooms, dorm rooms, hallways, and libraries, Val would seek inspiration in every nook and cranny. 

Growing up as a hispanic queer kid in a conservative town in South Florida was an extremely emotionally taxing experience for Olson, leading them to turn to songwriting to document their experience throughout teenagehood as a queer person trying to find their place in the world. Deadbeat Girl writes spontaneously and from a place of stark honesty and authenticity. Their melody and lyric writing embody their emotional vulnerability. Val puts it very simply: “When it comes, that’s when I write.” 

Deadbeat Girl’s artist project launched with their debut single “Another Day” back in November last year after spending the pandemic writing their own original songs. Sitting at 900 thousand streams, the track is a melancholy punk inspired upload that resonated with the likes of Under The Radar, Ladygunn, and more. The song, about their battle with mental health, was quickly picked up by listeners across the world, flooding the artist’s social media inboxes with stories about the record saving lives.  

Following the single, Deadbeat Girl’s first EP entitled “What Will It Take?” released in March of this year. The project is a collection of their innermost thoughts, pieced together with the help of The Shack North’s Senior producer, Ferny Coipel. Working hand in hand with Coipel, Deadbeat Girl’s art has become more than random bursts of inspiration in tiny dorm rooms and study spaces. The record arrived as a coming of age moment, navigating self acceptance, heartache and identity with empowering honesty. The release, which has now surpassed 2 million streams on Spotify, scooped support from the likes of Clash, Wonderland, Them, and Ones To Watch. 

Deadbeat Girl is a new look into the daringly unafraid side of a musician with an overwhelming willingness to be oneself and to share it with the world. Despite it still being early days for Deadbeat Girl, things are already falling into place. As they continue to unapologetically share their authentic self, their adoring fan base continues to grow and relate. With playing live being at the heart of who they are as an artist, Deadbeat Girl has just finished a global support tour with brilliant artist Ari Abdul with cities throughout North America, Canada, UK and Europe. Additionally, to kick off the tour, the pair performed together at Lollapalooza this past summer. Their single “Make Me Cry” manages to feel effortlessly cool, with Deadbeat Girl settling into Abdul’s soundscape so seamlessly it’s as if they were a permanent duo. With almost 5 million streams on Spotify and counting, it’s a single not to be missed.

Keeping up the momentum, their newest single “Everything You Wanted” analyzes the back and forth game with a toxic relationship. With praise coming from New Noise Magazine and Noctis Magazine, Deadbeat Girl tells tales of navigating life, relationships and emotional pain.

What once was simply writing songs in a childhood bedroom has quickly turned into something much bigger. Despite the recent success, however, Deadbeat Girl continues to stick to their roots, always creating songs inspired by the music they grew up with. Olson vents on their social media, “I’ve had quite the journey and I’ve gone through a lot as a queer person, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I do believe that it is my calling in this life to speak through my music to queer youth and to all of those dealing with the pain that comes with being human through my music.”

At their core, Deadbeat Girl is “not just a musician, but a lover of music.”