AVEC is a young Austrian singer songwriter. After her first EP “Heartbeats” in 2015 she’s been working like hell. The result of all that hard work and dedication is reflected in two full length records “What if we never forget” and “Heaven/Hell”. No wonder she’s one of the winners of the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards during Eurosonic.
On the second day of showcase festival Eurosonic we have the pleasure to meet AVEC. The church in which this interview takes place seems like the perfect place for a rising pop star.
How do you like Eurosonic so far?
It’s great. It’s amazing. It is my second time here, last year we played this festival for the first time. I have to say that Eurosonic for me is my favorite showcase festival. All the others, like Reepherbahn, are unreal, but they don’t compare to what’s happening here.
I can’t really point out why I love Eurosonic the most, but it is kind of special. I enjoy being here. There are so many talented people walking around. That is truly inspiring.
Did you make new friends here?
Yeah of course. Whenever you are at a showcase festival like this you get the chance to meet all the artists and to keep in touch with them – maybe collaborate or something. That is such a great thing to do when you are around such talented people.
Who would like to collaborate with?
The first person that comes to mind is actually Justin Vernon from Bon Iver. I would love that! Obviously he’s not here, but that is definitely someone on my collaboration wish list. But overall my goal this year is to do a lot of collaborations with other artists. I hope I can get some friends and like-minded artists together and do some cool stuff. That would be sweet.
You’ve been in the music business for a few years now. What do you like most about your job?
I love that I have the opportunity to do what I love most; making music. It was never about becoming famous. I just needed to write and create and now I can make a living doing this. To turn your hobby into your job is like the most perfect thing you can do. I just love it.
Isn’t it hard to take the leap of faith and dive head first into the industry?
No, I don’t think so. I’ve always written songs and it hasn’t changed at all. I still sit in my room writing, recording, arranging and producing new music. So actually nothing has changed, except that I can do this whole day long. I can’t imagine myself doing any other job or business than music honestly.
Cool, so the industry is treating you good. What do you hate most about your job?
What I hate most? Wow, let me think about this one. I don’t really hate anything about it. All my experiences with music have been great so far. Of course there are moments when you have to work hard. For example, we were on tour for about a month playing sold-out shows, but also shows for twenty people.
You really have to work hard to get your music out there and to make people come to your concerts. So that’s a thing that I don’t hate, but you have to accept if you are a musician. This is what we do, this is what I do to make this work, because I really really want it.
Hard work dedication is always key isn’t it?
Yeah, most definitely.
And now about something completely different. Do you have favorite chords you like to use in your compositions?
Yes, I definitely have chords I like to use a lot. I don’t know anything about music theory and that is why I play and compose in a way where I do what feels right. Of course I know the chords, but I never properly learned the theory behind them.
So, as I was saying, I use a lot of chords and probably the same ones over and over again. But the thing is that I can make them sound different when I’m producing and arranging the music. My favorites are probably Em, G, D, Am, and F.
Why do you like those chords so much?
I don’t know, but I keep coming back to them. It’s a familiar sound I guess. You know the chords, you know the tones and you know how this could work with lyrics and the whole production. It just feels familiar as I already said and that is why I keep coming back to them.
What are your plans for 2019?
Well, there’s going to be a lot of writing. I’m taking a break from January until March. During this period I’m planning to write and pre-produce new songs for a new EP or an album which is planned to be released next year. I don’t know what it will turn out to be yet, but that’s what I’m planning to do.
In the summer we are going to play a lot of festivals and some club shows in the autumn. Yeah, it’s kind of more relaxed this year. In 2020 we’re going to tour again, but this year we want to take it a little bit easier.
Do you really need this break?
Yes I do. As I said we were on tour last autumn and it was one month just touring. So I didn’t really have the time to write new stuff. I need to sit down and start creating and writing everything that comes to my mind which is going to result in an EP this year I hope.
What is the craziest backstage moment from your last tour?
Let me think. It was probably in Nuremberg Germany where we had a really tiny backstage. The room was so small that we had to split up because we didn’t fit in the backstage. We had to make a schedule who could chill out in the artist area and who had to wait outside. That was really hilarious.
We had a lot of funny experiences on tour. It was a great experience, because we’d never been away from home for so long touring. It’s very exhausting on the one hand and on the other hand you can be on stage every night. You get the feedback from the audience; the smiling faces keep you going. That is the best feeling in the world.
Sounds good. I have one final question. What advice would you give your eight-year-old self if you could go back in time?
Do what you love. Write and create music without any pressure. Pressure can result in writer’s block, so that is why you should always create without it.
