Welcome to BuzzMusic, Avery Raquel! Living in Toronto, in what ways has your environment inspired you, and how have you applied it to your musical career?
Thanks very much, glad to be here! A lot of my songwriting stems from personal experiences; relationships, friends, things that have happened to me, but they have never really been influenced by location. I grew up in a pretty small town. I just recently started my first year at college and started living on my own in Toronto. It's a big change, but I love Toronto. I admit, I'm becoming more introspective and thinking about living on my own, and meeting new people, and I guess that will have some effect on my writing. I’ve been really taking in my new surroundings and constantly trying to find inspiration.
You continue to climb the dance charts with the StoneBridge remix of ’Pieces’, the second single release from your album, ’My Heart Away’. Tell us about this journey!
The album focuses on the evolution of a relationship. ’Pieces’ is towards the end of the album and is the most upbeat and mainstream sounding song on it. My producer, Greg (Kavanagh) had the initial idea about doing a club remix of “Pieces". I like to think I’m open to trying new things, but when the StoneBridge opportunity first arose, I did need some time to think about it. I don't think I was ready at that time to hear my music presented so differently. But then I noticed a lot of mainstream artists creating remixes to further build their fan base and expose their music to a wider audience, so I thought, why not? Now's the time. StoneBridge is at the top of his game and has multiple Billboard hits with artists like P!nk, Ariana Grande, and many others, so we all knew he was the perfect fit. I am very happy with how the remixes turned out and how well “Pieces” is doing with DJ’s on both radio and in the clubs. I am still blown away by the charting position. I am sitting at #30 right now! What inspired you to write ’Pieces’? The emotion came from being at the end of a relationship that had gone bad. The main message of this song is that sometimes you put out a lot of energy towards someone else to please them and to try to remind yourself that you are happy in the situation that you are in, but that energy isn’t always reciprocal and can be taken for granted by that other person. If you feel the need to remind yourself to be happy, then the relationship is toxic. ”Sometimes the pieces aren't meant to fit” - Two people, though maybe in love, may not be right for each other, and the realization that it's okay. What can we expect to see from you throughout 2020? I hope to write a lot more and to release new music. Not sure if I'll work towards a full album, or simply release a few singles. I already have 4-5 songs in the bag. I would also like to perform more! Maybe do some small tours in Canada and the United States. I'm starting to book for Spring and Summer 2020, and even into 2021.
Listen to "Pieces" here.