Kayla Avitabile has a voice that is so incredibly raw and uncommon. We're exasperated at the quality of tone Kayla is able to steadily maintain throughout all of her tracks, especially so in her latest EP "Shadows & Fate". As a singer/songwriter/guitarist (what can't she do?!) Kayla impresses listeners with her degree and element of diversity as a musician. We can feel the amount of honesty in her tracks, ultimately knowing they aren't fabricated in the slightest. Kayla Avitabile is the type of alternative/indie artist you want to be listening to (we've been listening for quite some time already), and her last track off of "Shadows & Fate" is the gateway to blessing your ears with soul and passion.
The tone in Kayla's recent release "Streetcar" is predominantly on the melancholic side. Kayla's honesty and pure vocalism is one of the first elements to the track you'll recognize. There are some songs you just listen to, and are really able to appreciate the genuine talent that artist has.Kayla Avitabile is one of the artists that you just listen to, and automatically appreciate the talent she possesses within the dynamics of her vocals. It's almost surprising the degree to which Kayla is able to reach within her vocal delivery, and yet, we need to stop being surprising by the blatant capabilities of young artists. "Streetcar" is the track you want to be listening to when in the most reminiscent and soulful mood. "Streetcar" is that track you need to be listening to when you feel lugubrious.
Hey Kayla! Please introduce yourself as an artist to our readers!
To everyone out there who doesn’t know my music, I would describe myself as an indie-alternative artist. I draw influence from female rock legends like Alanis Morissette and Stevie Nicks. My voice is often described as soulful and my lyrics, thoughtful. I would also say content is not shy of political implications.
While curating “Streetcar”, did you come across any creative blocks? If you ever come across creative blocks with creating your sound, how do you typically surpass them?
Lyrics are really important to me, and I often spend a lot of time making sure that they convey the meaning I’m trying to get across. I wrote this song based on the play and later film, A Streetcar Named Desire which details an abusive relationship. With this song, I felt that it would be interesting to come from the “bad guy” rather than the “good guy” perspective and the complicated feelings surrounding these type of relationships. Therefore, trying to keep my point of view clear was sometimes a challenge as well as creating a changing melody rather than sticking to the typical verse chorus structure. Whenever I run into roadblocks I sometimes find it best to just come back to the song later or just realize that maybe I shouldn’t over analyze too much.
What are performances like? How would you describe the atmosphere of your shows?
Performances for me are often acoustic sets in the bar and restaurant scene and the occasional music festival. The atmosphere is often more relaxed. My gigs often have that singer-songwriter vibe where I preface my songs with either an anecdote or essentially the meaning of the song. Think coffee house vibe minus the folk and replaced with acoustic alt rock.
"Streetcar" had an incredible lyrical presence to the track. What would you say was the most impactful lyric in the track?
This is hard to say considering the most impactful lyric could be different to every person. I guess that lyric for me would be, “No right, no wrong. Morality’s just a word,” because I feel like that is the core of the entire song. With so much injustice, not just in this context of the play and the abusive relationship, but society at large, people will always try to justify terrible things. The lyric adds to this sort of nihilist approach to the song which sometimes comes across in my music (which for the most part is incredibly angsty).
Congratulations on your 2018 nominee for Best New Album! We absolutely loved "Shadows & Fate" and the strong atmosphere it produced for us as listeners. Do you have any other singles in the mix?
I have released one single post-Shadows & Fate which plays in the credits of a documentary series done by my university television station (TUTV). I wrote the song “Play the Game” for the episode “Confidence” on The Athena Project which you can find on the Tufts Univeristy Television YouTube channel. I have other music written and more in the works which could mean a possible recording session this winter.
Connect with Kayla Avitabile on social media
www.instagram.com/kayla.avitabile