Our favorite soulful songstress and independent artist, Ay has been making her name known throughout Boston, MA and beyond this year. Her aim as an artist is to create a soul penetrating noise that sticks with the listener long after the songs have come to an end. Composing and performing all her life, Ay finds it is her purpose to share her music and creations his her ever-growing and loyal fanbase.
Ay’s singles this year include “Mayberry Heart”, “You Lost It All”, and “Fake”. All were well received by listeners and fans and further pave the way for Ay’s unique artistry. Each release has earned her a music award nomination including Best Pop Act Of the Year for "Mayberry Heart" at the New England Music Awards, and two nominations at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for both "Fake" and "You Lost It All" in the soul and alternative categories! Yet another reason we’re shining our artist spotlight on Ay is for her impressively creative music video for “You Lost It All”! The whole project feels like an old-school short film and is meant to take place in a 40s era. Absolutely worth a watch and we can’t wait to see more visuals from Ay in the future. Currently, Ay is hard at work in LA at Studio Bopnique preparing to release her full EP produced by Anthony Resta and engineer Karyadi Sutedja, keep an eye on Ay heading into 2020!
Listen to Ay’s music here and read more with the rising star below!
Hi Ay, welcome back! We're completely captivated by your vocals, you have such a strong and warming presence throughout your tracks. Can you tell us more about your intentions when you first began to curate your single “Mayberry Heart"?!
Wow, thank you so much!! My intentions for creating “Mayberry Heart” were to explore my own vulnerability by sharing intimate feelings. I wanted to write a personal love letter about a deeply felt connection that wasn’t coming together smoothly. I’m likely not the only one who’s experienced this before so by sharing “Mayberry Heart” I hoped to reach other people who understand.
How long have you been making music and releasing it to the public, and what’s one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned as an artist in recent years? How did you apply this to your most recent single “Fake”?
I’ve been making music since I was about 3 but started to release public YouTube covers in 2010 and my original music in 2013. I’ve learned since first releasing music publicly to let go of the fear of being authentic. I was involved in competitions and the music industry from the age of 8. The focus then was always someone else’s idea of who I was or what I should sound like to fit a marketable mold. The inspiration for the song “Fake” stems from that place of having to smile in the face of constant critique from those closest to you and ignoring the hurt. Expressing those challenges through music helps me process the emotions I’ve grown through.
You've had such a strong love and passion for music at such a young age! How do you think you and your music have grown since you first started writing, versus now?
My confidence in what I do has changed dramatically. Years of performances, vocal training and working in studios on a wide variety of projects have taught me a lot about myself and expanded my skill set. When I first started out, I felt the industry was searching for a place for me to fit in. Now I just create art that fits me.
Although you always put passion and vulnerability in your lyrics, “You Lost It All” feels deeply personal and raw. Can we expect more of this on your upcoming EP release? OR do you remain versatile?
In my upcoming EP, raw feelings and personal accounts are absolutely the focus. You can expect versatility in production and arrangements while still staying true to a soulful and organically blended sound.
What predominant message is integrated into your upcoming EP that you hope your listeners take away from it?
I wrote these songs coming into an awareness of my own inner conflicts and trying to balance emotional extremes. Everyone and everything has a lighter positive side and a shadow— the works on the EP were inspired by recognizing and sometimes struggling with this duality.
It was great having you here on BuzzMusic! Tell us more about the much-anticipated EP release? Can we have an official release date?
The EP will be available this coming February 2020!! I worked with producer Anthony Resta and engineer Karyadi Sutedja at Studio Bopnique in LA to bring my vision to life. There are some incredible musicians like guitarist Tim Pierce featured on this project as well. Follow me on my social pages to find out more about the release and what else is coming! It's always awesome to talk with you guys and I can’t wait for you to hear what’s next!
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