PJ Aviles Proves Love’s Still the Luckiest Game in Town with “Lucky!”

Miami singer/songwriter PJ Aviles isn’t here to hide behind overproduction or try to be the next algorithm-friendly TikTok hit. With his new single Lucky! alongside a music video you won’t forget, he strips it all back to what actually matters: the story, the emotion, and the kind of melodies that stick in your chest long after the song ends.

Aviles has been doing this music thing for over a decade, writing and producing his own tracks while quietly racking up the kind of experience most “overnight sensations” never touch. Born into a household where music wasn’t just background noise but a way of life (his dad’s a touring sax player to this day), PJ picked up his first instrument before most kids had mastered long division. Sax at ten, guitar and songwriting by high school, and eventually, a steady run of gigs across Florida, everything from blues festivals to smoky dive bars to songwriter circles where the craft matters more than the clout.

Then COVID hit, live shows went dark, and PJ doubled down on what he really loves: writing and producing. Lucky! is the first taste of that renewed focus, a love song in the purest sense, but not just about romance. “I hope listeners are able to reminisce on their own love story, whatever that may look like, and feel a sense of hope,” Aviles says. “This song isn’t just considering romantic, bubbly love but also friendships, community, and any iteration of love as well. I truly believe that as humans, we’re lucky to get to experience that.”

The track’s production is intentionally stripped-down, putting the spotlight on PJ’s warm vocal delivery and unpretentious storytelling. And the video? It’s not your standard candlelit montage. Picture this: two young lovers, their decades-long story, and a beat-up 1980s Volvo that eventually goes up in flames. It’s cinematic, it’s heartfelt, and it’s got just enough chaos to keep you hooked. And if this is the opening shot for PJ’s next chapter, with more singles on the way, consider us strapped in for the ride. Because sometimes, love really is the luckiest thing you can get. And sometimes, it sounds exactly like this.

You’ve played everywhere from Florida dive bars to blues festivals. How did those early shows shape the way you write and perform now? Live audiences showed me how people respond to certain genres, different song structures, and melodic choices. Performing the songs live is still the best way to pressure test them. Even in this era where a lot of artists are trying to go viral with online audiences,  I think a lot of musicians' “songwriting” part of their brain is controlled by the “live performer” part of their brain. We’re oftentimes imagining an audience singing the song as we’re writing, even if it’s subconsciously.

“Lucky!” isn’t just about romantic love. You’ve said it’s also about friendships and community. What personal moment sparked that wider lens?  Google says that the Beatles used the word “love” 613 times in their music. I would go as far as saying that every song ever written is a love song at its core. Maybe not romantic Hollywood love, but some iteration of love (or lack thereof). For “Lucky!”, I realized that as you get older, you start to appreciate the love that you receive and the love that’s been able to last through tough times. I know the “lasting” part isn’t always the case for most people, so for the ones who do experience some form of lasting love, isn’t that luck?

The music video ends with a vintage Volvo in flames. What’s the story behind that visual, and how does it tie into the song’s message?  To be honest, I really just wanted to set a car on fire. Or at least make it look like it. If I were to really think on a deeper level, the whole video is trying to portray a love story from start to finish. A young couple falling in love in the car, getting older, and ultimately, someone passes. Since the focal point of the story is the car, maybe the car on fire signifies the end? A bit dark, I know, but there’s lots of joy in between.

You took a step back from live shows during the pandemic to focus on writing and producing. How did that shift change the kind of music you make?  A lot of "life" happened during & post-COVID - I stopped thinking so much about songwriting and just started living. I told myself that if music was really my thing, the songs would just come. And they did. I released an album called “Anything” with nine songs (which is available everywhere). I’m actually really proud of those. Now I was gifted with a few more, which I’m organizing into a project. “Lucky” is the first of the bunch. I fell in love with the production side of music, not just songwriting.

When people press play on “Lucky!” for the first time, what’s the one feeling you hope sticks with them after the song ends?  To me, the song gives me a strange nostalgia. I feel like it already exists somewhere (if it does, please don’t sue me). More than a musical nostalgia, it’s an emotional one, as if I’m put in the spot of a 90-year-old man who is looking back at his life. I’m still in my 20s, so I’m not sure where it came from, but part of me enjoys the retrospection. I guess I’d want listeners to look within at their own love story, however that may look like, and potentially feel hopeful. If not, sorry, maybe listen to Drake. That’s what I do most of the time anyway.