Ava King is an indie pop singer-songwriter and producer who has all the personality and punk attitude we love to see. We've all had that moment of "motherfucker left me on read" and her latest single "Leave Me On Read" personifies all the emotions that come with being ghosted. Check out our interview with Ava King below and stream her new song out now!
1) How was it being raised in France? How was the music scene growing up there?
It was a pretty coddled childhood in some ways. I grew up in a village of 400 people, my sister and I would go fishing for crayfish in the local stream, and there was lots of crepes and snail-eating. There wasn’t much of a music scene aside from me and a few high school friends making diss tracks about our physics teacher.
But there is one day of the year where France really pulls out all the stops music-wise: the festival of music on June the 21st every year (which also happens to me birthday, coincidence? Or foreshadowing? lol!). So I got to listen to lots of street music: accordions, violins, on that day every year.
2) You've had lots of global experience! Do you include inspiration from the places you've lived and worked (China, Europe, the US) into your work as a musician?
Hmmm great question. I definitely do include a lot Brazilian funk influences in some of my tracks (I went to Rio for Carnaval a couple of years ago and fell in love with everything Brazil!). I think China makes it’s way in when I add some more jazzified chord progressions (for instance the Bridge on Leave Me On Read). Europe. …. I have to think about that one…
3) After reading about Dr. Luke and Kesha you decided to start producing to create a safe space for women, what advice do you have to others who want to do the same?
Information is power. Learn a little music theory, a little engineering, a little mastering. Learn a little bit of everything if you can. This is an industry filled with beautiful people but also with egos who want to coerce and manipulate.
I’ve many times been in a session where someone has tried to make me “the little girl who doesn’t understand things, so she should just listen and take whatever I offer her.” But if you know what they are talking about, that makes you less vulnerable and you can make decisions that make sense to you, especially decisions having to do with finances.
4) What do you do to give yourself the self care and love that we all deserve and need from time to time?
LOVE this question!! Oh man I struggle with this one but I’m working everyday to get better at it. I have this quote I’ve written on a whiteboard in my room that says “I am the one I’ve been waiting for, I am the love of my life.” Put shortly: “you gotta date yourself”.
Which means making good food for myself, it means waking up and letting myself read a library book on my kindle for half an hour (I recommend Overstory by Richard Powers and the Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie), it means giving myself the space to cry, to grieve over things (as humans we do in essence lead a life of loss), it means telling myself I tried and that’s the most important, AND very counter-intuitively forcing myself to close the door on people who are not compassionate or kind to me.
5) Where is the best place for fans to follow you?
Instagram is where I post the most often @avakingmusic !
Comments