“Confessions, Dreams, & Unresolved Feelings” Is Ava Rose at Her Realest

Midwest-born and North Carolina–based artist Ava Rose is stepping fully into her truth with Confessions, Dreams, & Unresolved Feelings, a deeply personal acoustic-pop project that feels like reading someone’s diary under candlelight. Known for her intimate storytelling and heartfelt vocal delivery, Ava weaves together a collection of tracks that don’t just reflect heartbreak or nostalgia but trace her evolution as a human being learning to release what no longer serves her.

From the first note, it’s clear Ava has found her sonic lane. Pulling influence from Maggie Rogers, James Bay, and Dean Lewis, she brings that same blend of raw folk emotion and shimmering pop production, except this time she’s doing it entirely on her own terms. The fact that this album is fully self-produced makes it all the more impressive. Every piano chord and acoustic strum feels intentional, echoing her inner world as she reconciles past versions of herself.

At its core, Confessions, Dreams, & Unresolved Feelings is about acceptance, the messy kind that doesn’t always feel good but ultimately frees you. Ava doesn’t shy away from her past; she sits with it, sings through it, and transforms it into something healing. Whether it’s the reflective calm of “The One That Got Away (Again)” or the emotional surrender of “Letting Go Isn’t Losing,” Ava’s voice carries both ache and resilience in equal measure.

This sophomore release isn’t just a musical leap forward; it’s a personal awakening. As Ava puts it, “Learning who you are and growing from your past experiences is a never-ending process.” And that’s exactly what makes this record feel timeless. With the deluxe version set to arrive on December 5, 2025, fans can expect even more layers to unfold from this deeply introspective era.

For those who crave music that feels real, not polished to perfection but honest enough to hurt a little, Ava Rose just delivered something special.

You mentioned this project helped you make peace with unresolved feelings. What moment in your life inspired that breakthrough? 

Great question! I don’t think there was any particular moment that led to this; I think I just finally had enough space from specific memories and histories, like enough time passed that I could reflect on it from more of an outer perspective. Between the making of my previous album and this one, I moved from the Midwest down to NC, and I found more space to tap into my artistry and myself as well.

Moving out of where you spent all your years opens you up to new perspectives and new experiences, and while much of that is separate from what I reflected on with this project, change always leads to something new, and that’s what happened here. Sometimes you have to step away to be able to close the door.

What was the biggest challenge in self-producing this album compared to your past releases? 

The biggest challenge, honestly, was the mixing. The reason I had someone else do it the past two years was that I felt like I was standing in my own way with it. I hid my voice behind my arrangements because I wasn’t confident in it, and I let my own feelings about the individual elements direct the work rather than letting the work strengthen the song. So overcoming that was high on my list.

It has become easier as I’ve gained more confidence in my voice and artistry, but it still presents challenges. Plus, when you’re working on your own art, it’s hard to hear it like it’s any other song, because it’s not. I knew every step that was taken in crafting the song, and it’s hard to pull away from it and see it just as it sits in front of you. But once I got to the finished versions, it was gratifying to know what I was listening to was entirely my own. 

If each song represents a confession, dream, or feeling, which one was the hardest to share? 

I honestly think “needle gun” was the hardest because that one is the heaviest in my eyes. I think that one carries the most weight, and showing that level of vulnerability is the most challenging.

Other songs like “Michigan Avenue” or “mutual blunder” are contenders, they are about owning feelings I think I previously refused to acknowledge, but still share a different sentiment. “needle gun” is the song where the feeling carved into it matches the sentiment that went into making it, and I really value that. 

How do you know when a song has emotionally “healed” what it was meant to? 

I love this question. This can look different depending on the circumstances and the song. A song has done its job in healing for me, usually once it has reached its “full potential”. Sometimes that’s just being written, other times it’s being released and heard. It depends. I think every song serves a purpose and plays a role, and I think for the ones that go on to be released, that means that wound is healed.

But I also think there’s something to be said about the songs that sit unfinished or unshared, and those are more of a temporary protection until we’re ready to face what closure or healing really looks like. I think the things I’ve written and released songs about were preceded by songs that were started in an attempt to heal, but were premature. But like with “needle gun”, putting that out was what closed that chapter. Before that, I think it was still in a stage of being processed and dealt with.

Most songwriters I know, myself included, write for the sake of coping or dealing with the more unfortunate or unpleasant sides of life, which is why I think it’ll always be easier to write sad songs than ones that are more positive in nature. With that in mind, we write to cope and heal, and the closure comes when the song moves on from being ours to being yours. 

What can fans expect from the deluxe version, which is set to drop in December? 

The deluxe album will include three additional songs, one of which is a reimagined version of an old song of mine from 2020, when I wasn’t the vocalist for my own music. These three tracks were originally contenders for the album, but as more time passed and other songs emerged, I realized they were better suited for a second release. They’re outliers, but in the best way. I’m really excited to release it next month.