9+1 Q&A with Ava Elay

What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

When I started in 2019 it was really more of trying to recreate the mood of the music that inspired me, but in 2020 I finally figured out my creative process. It’s very story driven, thinking of characters and their situations and then bringing them to life through my music and the melody. Emotion is a big part of it, especially when I’m writing lyrics because I want the listener to understand what I’m trying to say in a way that feels authentic and relatable.

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

This song is called Spell of the Heart and I wrote it in the latter half of 2020. It’s about an obsessive passion that you are bringing back into your life after letting go: this beautiful realization that this thing has completely consumed you, but that you really don’t care. In fact you welcome it as something great. It was produced by Nick Lee and I recorded it in Los Angeles where I’m living now.

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

I love musical theatre and this bends my listening towards theatrical classic rock like Queen or Elton John—not necessarily sounding like them but definitely inspired by the drama and complexity of their music.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

I don’t think my music fits one specific genre, I just tend to write what I feel. But even with pop I try to write with more complex chords and I try to make my lyrics poetic and open to interpretation. I want the listener to wonder why that progression shifts or what those words really mean. I tend to write intense music and that comes out in my voice.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

That’s too many. Queen’s Greatest Hits, Edward Scissorhands, the book from the Phantom of the Opera musical. That’s all I need.

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

Live, one million percent. Performing live is the most wonderful feeling in the world for me. I love the feeling of coming out on stage and the audience is there and you don’t know how it’s going to be. In the studio you can get a perfect take but live you feel it right there, in that moment, and it’s the feeling that is perfect instead.

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

Well I found an expected silver lining in the 2020 lockdown. I suddenly had all the time in the world to sit at my piano and write. Seriously without that intense focus I’m not sure I would have written so many songs so early in my career.

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

I have an unreleased track called “New Girl” that is a spoken word poem over piano, where the melody rises and falls with the cadence of the verses.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

I have large backlog so I need to get back in the studio to record all those songs. And I want to play out more. Maybe it’s a counter narrative but I don’t want to be a famous pop star. I just want the opportunity to be on stage. To be whomever I want. To be as dramatic as I want. I don’t need a million fans. Just enough to put on a million shows.

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

Q: What would surprise people about you?

I’m also am actor and I have a complete obsession with Shakespeare. His stories are so dramatic whether funny or tragic, and I love acting in his plays. Hmm maybe I should’ve included a second desert island book!

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

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