Wicklow's Ava McKechnie has released her new single, Daydreaming, and plays The Whale Theatre, Greystones on Sunday 8 March. We asked her the BIG questions . . .
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22-year-old Ava recently returned to her hometown of Greystones following four years of study in Brighton and she played Whelan's One to Watch last Friday. Daydreaming is the title track from her most recent EP.
Speaking about the song, Ava says, "Daydreaming is a fun, upbeat song about not taking love and life too seriously. I usually lean towards slower and more melancholic melodies and lyrics but this song is the opposite of that! The sole purpose of it is to be enjoyed!"
Ava also plays the Spirit Store, Dundalk (special guest to Jamie McIntyre) on 20 and 26 of February.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
My favourite part of being a musician is songwriting, which I started to do in primary school (my classmates will attest to this after my countless performances in the yard!).
I studied music in college for three years over at BIMM Brighton in England.
I love sports and played football all my life for Greystones, Dublin and Bray Wanderers.
How would you describe your music?
My music is very honest, I draw from lots of personal experiences and I love to tell a story. I like to blend pop, folk, country and indie, and I always focus on a good hook. I think there’s something hopefully in all my songs that everyone can either relate to or enjoy.
Who are your musical inspirations?
I mainly draw inspiration from Maggie Rogers, Damien Rice, The Script and Taylor Swift. I love so many artists but these four have always stuck with me!
What was the first gig you ever went to?
The first gig I ever went to was Taylor Swift in Philadelphia when I was eight years old. I remember being in total awe of her and the support act. It’s only recently when I looked back at videos that I realised it was Ed Sheeran!
What was the first record you ever bought?
Shania Twain’s Come on Over was the first record I ever bought. I definitely grew up listening to a lot of country which sparked my love of storytelling and lyricism.
What’s your favourite song right now?
I can’t stop listening to Socrates Smiled by Amble. I think I could be a million of the song’s four million streams!
Favourite lyric of all time?
"I’m jealous of the wind, that ripples through your clothes"- Jealous by Labrinth.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It would definitely be Hopeless by Train. It’s my everything song! I could listen to it at anytime, anywhere and instantly feel peaceful.
Where can people find your music/more information?
People can find my music @avamckechnie on all streaming platforms and socials!
Alan Corr
