Meet AViVA, a multi-talented Sydney-based artist carving herself a bright, exciting future

Header image by MataisC.

We've met our fair sure of multi-talented, multi-dexterous artists over the years, usually through musicians that painstakingly create their own cover art or music videos in accompaniment to their own, hand-created productions. It's something becoming more and more common as the DIY, self-made aesthetic reaches a fever pitch - artists deciding that they don't have to bother forking out the money for a full team, and instead, keeping it in their own hands.

Sydney-raised, often-LA-based musician AViVA is an entirely different force, however. She's somewhat well-known already, finding a strike of virality with her debut single GRRRLS in 2017 and growing infinitely since then. In addition to her music, she's also writing a full-length youth adult novel titled SELF/LESS, published via Macmillan on September 28. It's definitely something we've never heard before - a musician-slash-author combination - but it's a testament to AViVA's multi-dimensional creativity, something that makes her an incredibly exciting addition to music.

It's also worth mentioning that the music is downright great too. Her 11-track debut VOLUME 1 last year was an eclectic mix of rich emo-pop and a range of other genres, extending out to indie and electronica as she introduced herself and her musicianship over the course of the record. Then, there's the multitude of singles that have come out since then: ANTIHERO, HOUDINI, UNBREAKABLE and TWISTED showing even more sides of the musician, in addition to a few acoustic versions and remixes of past singles.

Her latest single Melancholy, however, sees her go above and beyond. Released as her first single via Island Records Australia/Capital Records US, it's a veering and versatile song that shows AViVA's continued evolution; how she furthers herself, her sound and her image with every creative move she makes - Melancholy yet another example. It's cathartic and fuelled by her vocals' emotive presence, channelling the more intimate side of emo-esque pop and the twists and turns AViVA brings to the genre's well-established conventions.

"Seemingly cheerful and upbeat from the outside, it doesn’t matter what makes you feel that way, sometimes feeling down is the only way you can feel, but the power of the last line ‘it will never be the same’ is where the core message of the song lies," she says on the single. "Even though after negative experiences things often aren’t the same, we are always free to learn and grow from our experiences. Feeling melancholy, like so many feelings, is just a temporary state. Things will, as they always do, get better."

It's an incredible introduction to AViVA if you're not yet acquainted, and if you are, it's further proof that she's someone arming herself with an exciting adventure ahead; her record deal hinting that more material is forthcoming, as well as the release of her debut book on September 28th. In the meantime, you can take a dive into Melancholy below, and better introduce yourself to the rising force underneath:

Tell us about yourself?

I’m AViVA I write songs for people who don’t fit in and don’t want to fit in. I want people to find a voice in my music that allows them to be themselves and express who they really are.

What’s your music like? What does it sound like? What kind of themes does it usually cover? 

My music sounds like the whirlwind of emotions that you feel before, during and after emotional turmoil. My songs cover the themes of self-expression, and the dichotomy of control. I write music to express the power that comes from taking ownership of your own narrative.

What are your production and writing processes usually like? 

I write songs from the heart. I like to be spontaneous with my lyrics, I will map themes and ideas to draw from but within a songwriting session my lyrics are always born in that moment.

Can you tell us about your latest single, Melancholy?

My latest single Melancholy is about feeling like things will never be the same. The song is set in the moment of sadness one might feel around any given situation but I want people to walk away from it feeling empowered. ‘Things will never be the same’ can be and should be a powerful concept. We learn and grow from everything we experience and that is pure magic. 

You’ve also got a book coming out, which is incredibly cool! Can you tell us a bit about the book, and how it ties into everything else?

My debut YA novel SELF/LESS is coming out with Pan Macmillan this October. The book is all about creativity and self-expression and what it means to human. My music ‘soundtracks’ the book. So the more you deep dive the more you get out of both!!

What do you have planned for the rest of 2021?

Writing music, editing my second book (the next book in the SELF/LESS series) and enjoying summer!

What do you want people to take away from your work? 

I want people to take away a sense of self-empowerment. I want people to feel a little bit more comfortable in their own skins. I want people to feel like singing and dancing and expressing themselves anyway they can!

Where can we find more of your music?

All the usual places; Youtube, Apple, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon… 

Follow AViVA: FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM