24-year-old independent artist Avya is earning her place in Aotearoa's music scene one song at a time.
Avya's single "You Don't Get It" gained nationwide success, spending several weeks on the Hot NZ Singles Chart, while her previous track "Green" was featured on curated playlists by Spotify and Apple Music.
Since placing fifth on TVNZ's Popstars, she has been a 3-time NZ On Air funding recipient, opened for artists like Jeremy Redmore and Georgia Lines, and expanded her catalogue of original material in collaboration with renowned songwriters and producers, including Joseph Faris, Noema Te Hau and Joel Jones.
Avya's upcoming 3-track EP, "She", is a deeply reflective exploration of relationships, generational patterns, and grief. The opening track, "My Love", sets the tone with its foot-stomping folk-pop energy, offering a message of self-worth wrapped in infectious hooks. The title track, "She", challenges harmful generational cycles, while "The Hurt Don't Sleep" closes the EP with a tender exploration of grief, leaving listeners with a raw and honest emotional resonance.
TRACK-BY-TRACK
MY LOVE
A folk-pop anthem about knowing one's worth in a relationship, "My Love" tows the line of foot-stomping folk and bopping pop music. Hilariously, the song was inspired by an emotional episode of Australia's Married at First Sight 2024. Stepping into the shoes of one of the cast members, Avya takes on the push and pull of this particularly dysfunctional relationship.
This felt like a message that ought to be backed by a solid guitar strum, a catchy hook and a belt-worthy melody. With this, Avya penned the chorus in her home studio in Tāmaki Makaurau. She brought the chorus to a session with co-writer Joel Jones, and the rest of the song came together beautifully.
SHE
"She" is the second instalment and the title track of Avya's upcoming 3-track EP. A thoughtfully crafted yet quietly powerful song, "She" is an ode to breaking a cycle of generational hurt.
In defiance of how many generations have justified bad behaviour by saying, "This is just how I was raised" and "This is all I know," "She" is a song about recognising that behaviour and actively choosing to do differently.
Though the Colleen Hoover novel didn't inspire the song, coincidentally, "She" feels like the song embodiment of the 2024 film 'It Ends With Us'.
THE HURT DON'T SLEEP
The project's closing track, "The Hurt Don't Sleep", is a fragile number focusing on the helplessness that comes with grief.
This emotive track communicates the idea of wishing to take away the pain of a dear friend experiencing the inevitable grief that comes with losing someone.
Produced in the same manner Avya wrote it - with a gentle strum and soft vocal - "The Hurt Don't Sleep" leaves nothing unsaid. Tee Hao-Aickin plays the violin beautifully, bringing another dimension of heartbreak to the song.
"She", the 3-track project by Avya is available for pre-save here.
You can catch Avya performing at a series of intimate shows over the coming months, followed by her performances at Festival One at Hartford Farm in January 2025.