POPULAR GIRL: AVA MAYBEE

A 19-year-old singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, Ava Maybee undoubtedly has a bright career ahead of her. Daughter of Chad Smith (drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Trisha Cardosa, Ava Maybee grew up in a musical household and started being active in music from a very young age. Her authentic style and strong voice has led her to many charity concert performances from as young as 7, and she is now a youth ambassador for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Now having recently released her debut single “Lay Low,” we can’t wait to see where 2021 takes the young artist. 

Read our full catch up with Ava below! 

Your debut single “Lay Low” has already amassed over 90k streams on Spotify (at the time of writing this). Congrats on the success of it! Talk to us a bit about the creation process behind it. 

Thank you!! Lay Low was one of the first songs I made during quarantine with the amazing producer Emile Ghantous!! We started with a simple 4 chord progression and then Leslie Johnson added live funk bass on top. Then, I start with a melody and Emile helps me with lyrics and that’s our process! Lay Low was so fun to make. 

How did you decide to finally launch your artist project after being active in music for so many years? 

I go to school for music at the Clive Institute for Recorded Music and I didn’t make any music that first year in order to clear my head and focus on studies. I soaked up all the knowledge I could from the teachers. I think of it like I had a tool box and Clive was adding tools so that I have a wide variety of musical talents and knowledge to choose from. After quarantine hit, I was left alone with my thoughts with no distractions. I made the decision like “this is it” and I started doing music everyday and focusing in on finding my sound and perfecting my craft (which is a lifetime journey). I started to think of music as a career and not just a hobby. 

You have performed at numerous notable events around Los Angeles, most notably singing the national anthem at the Lakers and Dodgers Games. Talk to us about your experience in all those events. 

It was so fun to sing the national anthem at both events!!! At the Dodger game, I sang with live piano and it was my first time using in-ear monitors so that was definitely nerve wracking for me. At the Laker game, I sang the anthem acappella. So for the both games, I was so nervous I was going to start on the wrong note!!! But both experiences were so, so so amazing. 

How has growing up in a musical household shaped you as a musician? What were the artists your parents were playing when you were growing up?  

It has deeply impacted me in every way! Because my family always listened to so many different types of music, I started loving tons of different genres at a young age. Everything from The Temptations to Black Sabbath was playing in the house.  

How would you describe the sound of Ava Maybee in three words? 

Oh god!! 3 words is so hard!! I guess I would say soulful, sultry, and funky. 

Who are some of your key musical influences? 

Artists like Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Van Morrison were being played in my house when I was younger and my dad showed me a lot of cool rock artists as well. I’m very inspired by current artists as well like Yves Tumour, Benee, Tame Impala, MGMT, and Remi Wolf. 

When it comes to songwriting, what does your creative process look like? Do you prefer to be in a session in order to get ideas flowing or are you always creating on the fly?  

I’m such a big collaborator that I love being in the studio and working with another producer or writer and bouncing off ideas with them. During my day though, lyrics or melodies will pop into my head and I’ll have to record them on a voice memo or put it in my notes to remember for later. You never know when inspiration will strike!!! 

Talk to us a bit about your activity with the UNICEF Young Ambassadors and the Teen Board of Heartbeats of VIP? 

I have been super passionate about giving back from a young age. In sixth grade I helped co-found the young ambassador program for UNICEF, which gave kids my age a more tangible way to give back to kids in other countries. My work with Heartbeats was more about providing a platform for other performers to share their music to benefit local charities! And more recently, I was named a youth ambassador for Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles which came about because of my gratitude to the hospital when I had my double scoliosis spine surgery in eighth grade. 

How did you experience being in quarantine this year? Did you feel like your creativity was flourishing or were you maybe rather uninspired? 

I feel very very lucky to be able to say that I really felt like my creativity has been flourishing during quarantine. I’ve done a lot of emotional growth as a human being and progressed in my self discovery that I think that is expressed in my music!

What is one secret talent of yours that no one knows about?

I don’t know if this is a secret talent but I am a BIG crafter. From sewing, to knitting, to making jewelry or collating! 

What are some of your favourite new artists that you are jamming to right now?

I’ve been listening to Benee’s new album and The Neighborhood’s new album as well! 

Are you working on any new music at the moment? What can fans expect from you in the future?

Of course!!! I’ll be releasing my second single called “See Me Now” on February 19th which also happens to be my 20th birthday!! I’m so excited for everyone to hear it.

 

Can’t get enough of Ava? Be sure to follow her: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Spotify!