Friday, October 28, 2011

INTERVIEW: Avery Sounds Off

If you're suffering from KPOP overload thanks to yours truly, I have good and bad news. A lot more is coming shortly as I slowly recover from Sunday's epicness. But before we get to that, across the jump below are the answers to the questions you helped me ask 16 year-old pop artist, Avery, after I featured her last month! Get to know Ms. Avery a little bit better by checking out the answers below -- and if you need a little bit of reminding, here's the ditty that got me so intrigued in Avery in the first place...


{Read My Interview with Avery By Clicking Below!}

Q:I'm loving the positive messages in your songwriting. Was "Go Screw Yourself" written from personal inspiration from a particular incident or as a general message?
A:  I definitely had a particular person in mind when I wrote “Go Screw Yourself”... actually; there were a few people in mind. Whether it be a bully in school, a cheating boyfriend, or a friend that did you wrong, there are always going to be people trying to bring you down in life. I feel like a lot of people can relate to this song, and I wanted to write something that could inspire others to stay strong against anyone that's tried to bring them down.

How would you describe your sound?
I would describe my sound as pop/rock with a bit of an edge. All my songs going on the album are pretty different from one another so it'll be a good variety!

What is your songwriting/creation process like?
It's different every time, that’s what makes it so exciting! Sometimes I'll get together with different talented writers, and we'll just start bouncing song ideas off of each other with a guitar and a notepad! It can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days or even a few weeks to write a song! Every song is different in its own way. Then we will spend a day in the studio recording it!

What producers have you been working with for your upcoming debut album?
I've be grateful enough to work with some really awesome people! Stargate (produced "Firework", "Only Girl in The World"), Dan and Leah Haywood (Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Aly & AJ), Ester Dean (Rihanna, Katy Perry), Matt Squire (Boys Like Girls, 3OH3!), Claude Kelly ("Since U Been Gone", "Party in the USA"), and quite a few others! 

Is being a role model, especially to young women, important to you?
It's definitely important to me. One thing I've realized is that you should embrace being different. I know how hard it can be, always wanting to fit in, but I want to inspire others to always be who they are; despite what anyone else says. I know I'm the happiest now that I've learned I can be myself, and the right people will love me for who I am :)

You're so young as it is -- when did you decide you wanted to pursue the music industry?
Yeah, I'm 16! Well, I Starting acting and singing in local plays when I was about 11. I did write a song, but I was doing a lot of musical theatre at the time. One day, my manager found me on YouTube when I was about 14. I had a little solo in a comedy skit that I did with my friends. My family and I thought my manager was an internet creeper when he first contacted us, but we quickly realized that that wasn’t the case! He took a flight to meet up with me and my family, and that's when I really started doing a lot with singing, song writing, and YouTube. All of this eventually led to me getting signed!

Your signing to Universal is really a great example of how important the Internet has become toward scouting for new artists! How did your signing come about?
Yeah, Youtube definitely made it all possible! After my manager signed me, we wrote an original song together, "Love Me or Let Me Go", and did a music video of it for YouTube. Labels started seeing the video, flying me out to meet with them, and then that’s when I got signed with Universal!

A lot of people have seemed to compare you to Avril Lavigne. Which artists do you draw the most inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from Green Day, Simple Plan, Yellowcard, Katy Perry, and quite a few others. Those are just a few examples of some artists that really speak to me. I feel that their songs have meaning that can help someone through a hard situation; I really like that about them. I thrive for that when I sit down to write a song.

You got your start with videos on YouTube and continue to post lots of fun covers (LOVING your Katy Perry "Firework" cover!, definitely suggest Demi Lovato for next! ;) ) -- do you sing any covers at your shows? Is there any song out currently you'd most like to cover live?
Thank you! :) I've sang "American Idiot" by Green Day at a show once, and that was fun. I'd really like to cover something like "Fix You" by Coldplay live at a show, because I think that would be really powerful to perform.

Ideal Scenario -- if you could plan a sold-out arena tour with any artist, alive or dead, who would it be?
Well, I think it would be awesome to go on a tour with Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. Both awesome artists, and if you put us all together, it could be a very entertaining show! 

What album do you feel all of your fans should have in their collection?
Well, I think it all depends on your mood, and what kind of music you are interested in! But I would recommend Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard, if you don't have it already. And hey, maybe even mine when it comes out? :)

Do you have any touring plans?
We are working on touring plans right now!  If you follow me on twitter (twitter.com/averyofficial) and on Facebook (facebook.com/averyofficial), I will definitely be announcing up and coming tour dates on there. :)

When do you hope to have a full album release?
Next year most likely! But I will have a few more singles out before then. :)

Any messages for your fans?
Keep smiling; don't ever let anyone bring you down. You all rock. <3 Thanks for everything you do. Love you!! Can't wait to meet you all someday, and start doing shows!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

this girl rocks!

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