Ahead of the release of new single Lose My Mind [produced by Vadim Zariuta], AVARA talks about her inspirations, her process and her hopes and dreams for the future.
You wrote your first song when you were in school - how old were you, and what inspired you to start writing music?
When I wrote my first ever song, I was around 15 years old.
I was studying at a boarding school at the time and was having quite a depressing year as I felt very alone and heartbroken after my breakup of my relationship at the time. Even though it was childish, the relationship meant a lot to me and it was a kind of [a] "first feelings" experience and I didn’t really know how to deal with myself let alone a heartbreak.
My depressive state inspired me to write music as, at a certain point in my life, I didn’t feel like I wanted to keep going anymore causing me not wanting to live as I wanted all the pain to end, however, I knew that I had so much ahead of me and this couldn’t be the end, so I found a way to deal with my feelings in a more healthy way rather than other things which was writing music.
I poured my heart and soul all into my music and felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest every time I sat down and wrote a song or wrote out my feelings on paper.
How did singing in a choir affect or influence your style?
Singing in a choir really affected and influenced my style in music as I always hated being in the choir - I was just chosen to be in it because I was told I had a great voice and at that point if you were chosen it was mandatory to attend.
I funnily enough was actually kicked out of the choir towards the end of my prep school journey due to my lack of interest in participating as I couldn’t even hear myself sing because of everyone else and didn’t feel heard in a way. In addition, [I] hated the music that we had to sing in the choir, but once I left, I realised that I have so much more freedom in choosing my own style and being able to sing solo so people can appreciate me for my art and talent as I always tried hard to stand out and be different (not in a crowd like a choir).
I realised later on that I much more enjoy genres such as pop, hip hop and rnb as well as electronic music such as house, tech house and techno which I have become to love a lot recently.
Overall, me being in a choir influenced me to create my own style and be able to express myself in a way I feel dear to my heart.
Did you learn any instruments when you were younger?
I learned to play a lot of instruments when I was younger.
I started off with learning to play the piano, then went onto violin which I didn't really enjoy. I also learned to play the cello - it was difficult and very different to anything I’ve ever played before but unfortunately I haven’t played it in years as my passion for playing the cello also grew apart.
However, I really liked learning to play the piano which I hope to start learning again and become better at.
What genres and styles of music influenced you the most when you were younger?
The genres and styles of music that influenced me the most when I was younger were mostly pop, as having grown up in London that’s what most people my age would listen to - mostly on the radio, artists like Taylor Swift, One Direction, Megan Trainer, Bruno Mars and more were a part of my childhood and mostly had their songs played on the radio which I listen to on the way to school and back and at home with friends for example.
Lose My Mind has quite a cinematic feel, what was the inspiration for this record?
My inspiration for lose my mind actually came from my trip after I visited South Korea.
I was inspired by their culture and heritage and especially their love [of] K Pop music.
I really wanted to make something everyone can dance to, like Korean K Pop fans do. In addition I added elements of house music as it is a genre I very much enjoy and think is very danceable too.
I of course had to add in the overall concept of the song to be about love but not about heartbreak - about how falling in love feels and how it makes you go up and down, makes you feel happy and sad but overall is something that is enjoyable and something people can listen to and relate and be able to enjoy and dance freely.
Is Lose My Mind about a specific person or a general feeling or a response to something else?
Lose my mind is about a specific person that I am keeping private for now, however I can say that this person is my best friend and a person whom I love very much. He just understands me which is usually very difficult or near to impossible. He is always on the same page as me and is there whenever I need him and continues to support me 'till this day.
How did you start working with Vadim Zariuta? What was it like collaborating and what was your working process?
My work with Vadim Zariuta started by my mother introducing me to his wife when I was around 13 years old, she is also passionate about singing and makes her own music as well and she agreed to help me to take my voice to the next level.
She introduced me to her husband as he makes music for her and wanted to see whether I would be able to get my ideas across to him to be able to make it a reality as she saw potential in me and it was also my long awaited dream to be able to make music and show it to the world.
So we ended up meeting and we hit it off straight away. We had the same vibe and understood each other perfectly - he knows what I want even if I am unable to explain it properly and can make it happen.
The process of writing music with Vadim usually starts off with me sending a reference of a song I like or something I want to make something similar to, or just something I'm inspired by in general.
He creates two of three demo versions which then I pick from and if I don’t like any he will make another. Then I just sit down at the microphone and he hits play and I start singing some ideas and the song just starts coming together from there.
Tell us about the process of bringing that record together?
The process of bringing lose my mind together was that Vadim created a few demo versions from a beat I was inspired by, and after I had already had an idea of how I wanted the song to sound so when we were in South Korea I just sat down with a microphone and started recording ideas and writing down some lyrics which I felt connected to, and it all just slowly kicked off from there.
What or who inspires you today?
The people who really inspire me today are my parents as both of them have gone through very tough periods in their lifetimes and have still managed to come out of them and have come out of them better and stronger people all while having to raise us in the meantime, they inspire me greatly as they kept going when many people would of given up and I aspire to be as strong willed as them one day in the future.
What do you want from your career in the long term?
Long term, looking at my career as it is just beginning, I want my art and music to spread all around the world and in the far future possibly have my own business in something I am passionate about other than music, for example interior design or fashion.
By hopefully achieving spreading my art and passion all across the world that will not just help me gain popularity but I will be able to use my work to help others achieve their dreams and be able to make others relate and know that they are not alone and that I will always be willing to help anyone during a hard time as I know how difficult it can get.
I also hope to earn money and be able to use it for purposes such as helping children in Africa to be able to have better living conditions - possibly build a free school where children who can’t get the education they need can study and overall give help to those who need it most and be involved in charity volunteering.
What's next for you? What are you working on?
Next in my upcoming career I am currently working on three new singles, one of which I hope to release in the next couple of months and in the future, I hope to be able to create an album that describes me to the fullest and can really let people get a better understanding and look [at] what kind of person I am inside - to be able to get to know me as an artist and as a person better.
Lose My Mind is out now on all the usual platforms with a new music video in the works, so watch this space!
Listen here:
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