In Conversation With Ava Maybee: Performing Live, Style Inspiration & Growing Through Music
Photo by Tallulah Totten
Interview by Tallulah Totten
Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Ava Maybee has continued to define herself as a unique artist and pop-girl staple since releasing her first single titled “Lay Low” in 2020. Since then, she has released five other singles, each with a new, refreshing, and powerful sound. Showcasing her tangy vocals and melodic production, all five singles cement her as a true, all-encompassing artist. Each single displays her range in genre and redefines what it means to be a “pop” artist. Songs “Puke” and “Limerence” will have you head-banging along , while “Colors” and “Mood Swings” are bound to make you want to get into your car and take a cruise down PCH. We were lucky to have the opportunity to talk with the NYU graduate, American Idol contestant and overall artist Ava Maybee after her set opening for lovelytheband in San Diego.
1127: Starting off…who are some of your favorite artists?
Ava Maybee: In the world?
1127: In the world!
Ava: Dead or alive?
1127: Yep!
Ava: In terms of my musical influences I would go with Benee, Dominic Fike, Remi Wolf. And in general, I would say The Strokes, Jeff Buckley, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse.
1127: I can so see that!
1127: You have such a sick sense of style that is so uniquely your own. Who are some of your style icons?
Ava: Thank you, ah man! This is such a cop-out answer but I really do mean it. I would say New York style. Living in New York, you can do the most and no one cares. That’s where I feel like you can really branch out and wear wacky shit. Versus (growing up) in LA, everyone’s like “why are you wearing that”? And you’re like “can you just let me live”?! So I would say New York and also groupies from the 70’s—just the most out there shit. That’s what I tend to look for when I thrift.
1127: Do you have a favorite piece of clothing?
Ava: In Detroit, I thrifted this long, jean skirt that used to be pants from the 50’s. And some hippies came in and made it into a long skirt with crochet. It’s so dope. It’s a piece of art. You’re wearing art.
1127: I love that it has a story behind it too! It makes wearing it feel so cool.
Ava: Totally! A hundred percent.
1127: It’s like…”you guys don’t know”.
Ava: Like “you guys don’t even know about this skirt”! For real!
1127: “Colors” is such a summer anthem. What is your go-to song or songs that you love to blast through the summertime, windows down?
Ava: I would say…”Green Light” by Lorde—if I’m being real hahaha.
1127: That’s SO real! I listen to “Ribs” on my way home every night. The chokehold!
Ava: The Pure Heroine album in general? That’s a windows down type album.
1127: That album is the one album that just takes me back. Like…it’s 2013/2014 era.
Ava: Yeah! I’m in middle school, I’m super depressed, I’m living on the edge…
1127: Tumblr is life!
Ava: Mhmm, mhmm, yeah!
1127: That’s a good answer!
Ava: That’s a real answer man.
1127: That is real. That is real.
1127: You released the music video for “Puke” a couple months ago. It was such a sick video! Were there any specific films, or visuals you were inspired by?
Ava: Yeah! I was heavily inspired by the Blink 182 cover of Enema of the State. That’s what we went for in terms of the more camp-esc aspect of it. But really the inspiration was “what gives me the most anxiety in the entire world”? And that is ambulances and doctors, and blood and needles. And then it goes into some weird, dream-like visual of me being like a Britney Spears, pop star. Which is also my biggest fear of how people perceive females in pop as just bimbo people with nothing to say for themselves. So those are my two biggest fears. So I just put them in one music video.
1127: I loved it. I thought it was so sick! All the different camera work too!
Ava: Thank you!
1127: Do you feel like the experience of being on American Idol impacted the way you approach your music now as compared to before?
Ava: A million percent! I have never performed with that high of stakes before. You prep so much for a one minute song. It’s pretty nuts. And then it could also totally all go wrong. It could be going totally fine for the two weeks you prep for it and you get on camera and you choke. That’s why it’s like…now having been on American Idol, and watching reality shows or singing shows, I just so feel for the contestant because you know how much time and effort goes into that for it to just be like “welp, you get one shot and that’s it”! I think it has allowed me to perform more and really enjoy performing more because it’s not like “America’s judging you! So don’t fuck up”!
1127: America loves you at this point!
Ava: I don’t know. I did not expect to be digestible for middle America at all. Because I’m not a very “middle America” type chick. But they seem to really like it. Which I think is just the power of music. I think it’s just a universal language. Everyone has a bad ex, everyone can vibe to “Colors”—there you go!
1127: What has the journey of defining yourself as an artist been like? And what’s been the best part and the most challenging?
Ava: I would say it goes hand-in-hand with just growing up. I feel lucky to be able to—well, I can barely do it—but form coherent sentences in order to put it into a song. And be able to, I don’t know, like somehow help how you’re feeling in the moment. Like how some people journal or go to the gym, I write a song to get it out. And I’m lucky that my coping mechanism and something that’s so healthy for me, continues to grow and progress and that I’m able to be paid to do it and have it be my job.
1127: Oh yeah! Monetizing your creative outlet is the ultimate goal.
Ava: Oh! Ultimate goal ever! So the fact that I am able to do it is…I just thank my lucky stars every day. But I do think it really goes hand and hand with maturing and just growing up, because my songs are a complete and utter reflection of who I am and what I’m thinking at that moment So it’s cool to go back to even a song like “Lay Low”—which is the first song that I ever put out. I would never make music like that anymore. But it’s fine, like she still slays.
1127: It’s like a time capsule.
Ava: It’s a time capsule. Exactly. Which is how you cannot regret any of your songs if they’re authentic at that time.
1127: What headspace do you find yourself writing from the most?
Ava: Angry. Hahaha.
1127: As you should.
Ava: Maybe not angry, I would say maybe like pissed off. And confused. I think it helps to just word vomit out. And then I usually find a song through that. I don’t ever write a song when I’m happy. Which is interesting.
1127: I feel like that’s how it is for most people.
Ava: Yeah. I’m not like “I’m so happy I’m going to write a song”!
1127: Happy can be boring…
1127: You performed at SXSW this year, what was that like?
Ava: That was incredible. We did six shows in a row. Two shows a day. And that was insane. I have a very fidgety voice, it likes to just leave sometimes, so that was really difficult to navigate for sure. But we had the best time. And also, I haven’t really spent that much time in Austin. So that was incredible—to see the music scene there. It’s nuts. It’s nuts!
1127: Every year I just look at all the stuff they post and I’m like “holy shit!” It’s such a big thing.
Ava: People love it for the music and that’s what I think is missing in LA and New York. Is that I think they’re just too fucking jaded. No one goes to a show to enjoy the show. They go to the show to video tape that they were there and leave. And for Austin, no one was on their phone, everyone was enjoying the music and it was rad. It was really cool.
Photo by Tallulah Totten
1127: What about this tour are you looking forward to the most?
Ava: I am most excited to play Webster Hall because I have lived in New York for the past four years and I just moved back to LA and I already miss New York. So I’m really excited to go back. I’ve seen some of my favorite artists ever play there.
1127: That must be such a rewarding feeling.
Ava: Oh my god! Being able to play at the same venue is—it’s insane! It’s super validating, it’s very cool!
1127: Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with? Dead or alive.
Ava: Dead, I would say Janis Joplin would be my dream—or Jimi Hendrix. Alive, probably Remi Wolf would be fucking dope.
1127: I could so see you guys touring together! That would work!
Ava: I’m manifesting it. I would die to open for her. That would be so rad! Yeah…manifesting it. Maybe it’ll come true.
1127: Putting it out there!
Ava: We’ll see! Putting it out there!
1127: What direction do you see your sound going in the future?
Ava: That’s a great question. I don’t know—which I think is the best part. I like not knowing because I started out as an R&B-pop artist and then I went pop and then now I’m indie-pop and now I’m putting out a rock ballad. I’m kind of doing it all. I think that I used to think it was because of a lack of direction, but really it’s just a stretching of yourself as a human being and what type of music you like, and your influences. And I think it’s cool because it all falls under the umbrella of pop. I just make pop music. That’s it.
1127: Limerence just came out. Is there anything else we can expect from you in the near future?
Ava: I am putting out an EP in October.
1127: That’s so fun! Ahh!
Ava: I’m really excited! It’s my first full body of work so I’m very nervous. But it’ll be good. I’m excited!