Unpack the Track: Avya’s ‘Green’

SINGER-SONGWRITER AVYA TELLS US ABOUT HER BEAUTIFULLY RAW, STORY-DRIVEN BALLAD 'GREEN'

Wow! Your new song 'Green' is a stunning story-driven ballad, with breathtaking vocals and beautifully raw lyrics, starting with delicate guitar then building up to a powerful, emotion-filled finish. Can you tell us about the concept of this track?

Thank you so much! Green is about experiencing a lull in a relationship and wondering if the grass would be greener on the other side. I talk about some of the doubts and share the questions running through my mind at that time - am I really in love? Is it normal to have nothing to talk about over dinner? Would these problems exist with someone else? I wanted to delve into that feeling of discontentment and guilt, the longing for greener pastures.

We shot the artwork in the dry, barren desert of Utah. I wanted to juxtapose the audio with the visual - showing that the "greener grass" was a bit of a false fantasy. I almost feel like through the conception and creation of Green, its meaning revealed itself to me in parts, and I learnt a lot about love in the process.

Incredible! What was the writing & production process like?

Like all of my songs, 'Green' started with a feeling. Noodling on the keyboard at my parent’s house last year, I started mumbling the first few lines of 'Green' and within a few minutes I’d stumbled upon the first verse and chorus.

I shared the verse and chorus with my friend Noema in a session at his house a few weeks later and he encouraged me there was something special there. We were trying to piece together the rest of the song and find the emotional centre. He simply asked me, “what colour/s do you see”? I saw the colour green; the colour of envy and the colour of grass. From there everything just made sense and we smashed out the first demo pretty quickly.

In June this year we spent a couple of days at Big Fan working on the track. We re-recorded the guitars, vocals, etc but the song kept a lot of the original elements. We fired the song off to the legendary Nic Manders with a very loose brief - “pretty, sparse piano, whatever you're feeling really”. He played beautifully and mixed the track for us.

I received the final master of the song while I was travelling the States in July. We were staying at an Air Bnb in Utah with a big group of friends and I forced them to listen to the final mix with me while I danced around the lounge with excitement.

Did you come across any challenges throughout the songwriting process, and if so, what helped you get through it?

Through working on this song we realised less is more. We experimented with a few different things during the production phase, different drums and layers of synths etc but in the end I think it needed the space we gave it. A lot of music these days is so produced and polished that releasing something so sparse can feel a bit nerve-racking. I guess it always comes down to what serves the song and staying true to that.

What was your main highlight working on 'Green'?

Honestly, the day I got in the studio with Noema and showed the first sections of Green was such a great day. He’s a joy to collaborate with and really encourages me and my ideas. I love listening back to audio notes from that day and hearing us piece it all together and having a blast while doing so.

We can't wait to hear more music from you! What can we expect from your upcoming music?

Thank you - I can’t wait to release more! My next project is a bit different from what I’ve shared so far. Showing a bit more attitude & sass, and the song is groovy! Totally summer appropriate I think.

Make sure to keep up with Avya on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify or Apple Music.