Interview: AVERY ANNA (Part 1)

It's not every day you get to interview one of your favourite artists, but that happened to me when the phenomenal Avery Anna (who I absolutely loved seeing perform at C2C) joined me for a chat - we spoke about getting into music, going viral on TikTok, sharing such personal songs, and so much more. I hope you enjoy! 

 

Ciara’s Country (CC): I am absolutely delighted to be joined by one of my favourite country stars of the past few years - none other than Avery Anna. Welcome Avery!

 

Avery Anna (AA): Thank you so much. I love that I get to talk to you. This is awesome!

 

CC: It's such a privilege for me as well so thank you for taking the time! So, I know you as the girl in the bathtub, whose songs made their way into my heart and onto my playlists. However, some of my listeners and readers might not know you quite so well - could give us a brief overview of how you got into music?

 

AA: I got into music when I was really young. My grandpa used to pull out his guitar, and he would play and I would sing, and we started with really old classic country music. Ever since then, I've just loved singing, loved writing - just loved it all.

 

CC: And what was it about your grandfather's love of music that passed on to you?

 

AA: That's a good question. He's a very quiet guy, and as a kid, just watching him be passionate about something, hearing him talk so much about the stories of him playing, and watching him light up when he played, made me really happy. Then I started to love it and light up when I played as well, and I loved watching our family reactions to us play too!

 

CC: You went from playing with your grandfather to posting videos on Tiktok, which then went viral, and here we are today! I always think it's so brave for people to get vulnerable and share their talents online - what was it that made you post that very first video?

 

AA: You know, I always would sing in the bathtub, not on camera, just because it was so awesome. I love the acoustics and I used to get up at like 5am in middle school so that I could sing before I went to school. It was just a burning passion that I always had. That Say Something song that I first posted, it just felt right. I didn't have any followers at the time, but it did really well, and I feel like the fans then gave me the confidence and the reassurance that I should just keep posting.

 

CC: It must have been crazy to see those views start to grow. When was it that you realised ‘Oh, maybe something big is happening here?’

 

AA: Probably when my managers reached out - they DMed me on Instagram, we signed a little contract, and they started helping me produce the songs that I was writing. It was so fast that I don't remember a specific moment, it all felt insane!

 

CC: Does it feel real now?

 

AA: No, every day feels like I'm at Disneyland!

 

CC:  That's such a great analogy to give - I think everyone would love that experience of feeling like they're at Disney every day!

 

AA: Absolutely!

 

CC: So your first cover was A Great Big World’s Say Something - how do you choose what songs to cover for your videos?

 

AA: It's always the songs that make me feel something. Something I felt, even when I was very young, singing in church, was if I can't feel it, then whoever I'm singing to won't be able to feel it either. I only ever post songs that really resonate with me and make me feel something, so that it can maybe resonate with somebody else too.

 

CC: Are there any songs that you’re afraid to post because you’re not sure how they’ll turn out or be received?

 

AA: Usually, it's my own songs that I write because those are the most vulnerable for me. I've definitely been very hesitant to post a couple of those because they're just so deep - so personal and I write such sad songs sometimes!

 

CC: So far we've had four phenomenal tracks from you: Just Cause I Love You, Can’t Miss You Anymore, I Love You More, and Narcissist. As you said, they are such deeply personal songs, and at C2C, you even described them as coming straight out of your journal. That's a lot to give to us - what was it like sharing them with the world?

 

AA: It's so intimidating. It’s a very vulnerable thing, but it's a strong thing to do to be that vulnerable in front of that many people. However, it's a price I'm willing to pay because it helps so many people – reading the YouTube comments for Narcissist, I found it insane that so many people can relate. It makes me very sad, but it helps me have the confidence to keep on writing the real stuff. It's very honest.

 

Avery had so much more insight into her life and music to come - make sure to stay tuned for Part 2 of my interview, where we chat about performing at C2C, dream duets, Ashley McBryde, and so much more! Be the first to know when that drops by following me on Twitter @CiarasCountry - thanks so much for reading!