Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Ava Valianti
THE RELEASE
Ava Valianti is a singer-songwriter from Massachusetts whose distinctive voice and indie pop sensibilities have garnered attention on the global stage. With a style that blends lyrical depth and infectious melodies, Ava has recently released her latest single, 'Wishing Well', whilst also preparing for her highly anticipated debut EP in early 2025.
“Wishing Well” is a masterpiece fuelled by guitar with a driving soundscape and her irresistible, exciting vocals, which captivate listeners and fans as she reignites old memories. Her beautiful vocals successfully blend well with the instrument arrangements without sounding off, showing the quality of her vocals as she sings yet another beautiful song.
It's impossible to neglect the artist’s pen game when you listen to this track. She articulated her words well, making her vocalisation seamless and understandable. The track is right in emotional depths, carrying with it memories that will trigger nostalgia in listeners. The track fully expresses the yearning for desire while also continuing life with what is left at hand.
The lyrics symbolise absent things yet portray acceptance, resulting in a joyous melody laced with dissatisfaction. The track, not being out of touch with reality, promises to be relatable to all listeners, old or young. Ana Valianti has proven that our works are not just joyful and enjoyable but also relatable to many.
THE INTERVIEW
Can you tell us about some of your favorite places that inspired the track?
Of course! This song was truly inspired by three different places - the wishing well at my favorite breakfast place, a pool slide at an inn I’ve stayed at since I was little, and the lobby of one of my favorite hotels. Each of these places was an integral part of my childhood, part of our family traditions. Literally every Sunday of my entire life my family would go to the pancake house and every important thing in my life was wished for in that wishing well at the end of our breakfast. The inn with the pool slide was a place my family stayed at every single year at the very end of summer before going back to school. And the hotel with the updated lobby was a place my family would go to every year during our school winter break. Around the same time in my life, they all changed drastically or disappeared. The wishing well fell apart and needed to be replaced, the pool slide was removed for safety reasons, and the Shining-like lobby of my favorite hotel was upgraded to look like a Holiday Inn. It was the first time I’d ever been confronted with the fact that maybe some of the constants from my childhood wouldn’t always remain intact as I grew up, and that was pretty frightening and sad. I was trying to make sense of it all and get my head in a good spot, so I sat down and ended up writing ‘Wishing Well’! These things happened around the same time that I was trying to grapple with the transition from being a kid to being a young adult, and there’s so much emotion and insecurity built into that transition in life, so I was in a pretty emotional state. Writing this song helped me through and turned it all into something more hopeful!
What was the biggest struggle you faced while coming to terms with growing up and how did you go about it?
I think that when you grow up, you start to realize that not everything lasts, and not in the ways you want them to. That was a new feeling that I’d never experienced before, and I was just coming to terms with these emotions that seemed strange and shocking at the time. As I’ve worked on this and released it, it’s become such a positive song for me. Although the theme is sad, I realized that I need to appreciate how beautiful childhood is, and live in the present. This song helped me realize that stages of life are different and as long as I enjoy myself, I’m going to love the life that comes along with that.
Were there any challenges during the production of “Wishing Well” and how did you overcome them?
Definitely in terms of the musical direction. We went in a lot of different ways for the production, some with just acoustic guitar and some much heavier and bigger musically, but ultimately we landed on a happy medium with what we ended up releasing! The instrumentation for this song is fantastic, and I’m so grateful to have the best producers ever (Chris Plante and Tate Pinyochon) that I work with! Couldn’t be happier about where we ended up.
We love the cover art, can you tell us about the idea and the process of shooting it?
Of course! The cover shot was taken by Shannon Knock-Culpepper, and was actually taken at my old elementary school! We did a nostalgic shoot there which was so much fun, and she had brought some water, coins, and a mirror because she had an idea to get a reflection shot! I was super excited and the results did not disappoint! She and Melena Ward took the most amazing press photos and I think they really captured Wishing Well’s theme and feeling.
What should fans expect from your EP, and is there a release date set yet?
My EP, which I would love to have by the end of 2025, would definitely feature some of my favorite unreleased works! I think it’d be stretching a few more genres and moods than I’ve done before, and I just can’t wait to keep working on that! But for now, make sure to keep listening to my singles!
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