Ava Renn is a sonic stormโraw, unfiltered, and impossible to contain. Writing songs since she was eleven, she grew up with language in her blood and chaos at her back, turning music into the only place sheโs ever felt truly alive. Both fierce and vulnerable, her sound fuses dirty rock energy with razor-edged pop, carrying the pulse of someone whoโs fought to reclaim her voice and refuses to hold anything back.
After years of independence, reinvention, and relentless drive, Ava answered the call of the desertโthe place thatโs anchored her since she was a kid. There, under a wild December sky, she forged what would become Lightning Child: not just a debut era, but a declaration. Itโs the sound of raw electricity, of someone unafraid to burn through the noise and leave the world changed in her wake. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?
Ava Renn: My dad was my music man growing up โ he filled me with song from the very start of my life. My melodrama began early. Iโd lock myself in my room and write blues songs at three years old when I began to become aware of the worldโs heaviness โ ha-ha. Emotion has always been best expressed in sound for me.
2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?
Ava Renn: My musical journey has always been a personal exploration. Iโve had melodies living inside me and lyrics forming from how I see the world. The past year and a half of bringing that inner world to fruition has made me feel more alive than ever before; itโs extremely tangible for me.
3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, whatโs the story behind choosing the name โAva Rennโ?
Ava Renn: PJ Harvey, Alison Mosshart, and Chris Cornellโthose are my top three early influences, all for different reasons.
PJ Harveyโs originality, sound, and immersive writing taught me the importance of staying rooted in truth and authenticity.
Alison Mosshartโs stage presence reignited my fire to performโto help people feel and experience music with me. Sheโs unstoppable onstage and off.
Chris Cornell shaped my voice more than anyone. โLike a Stoneโ is my favorite song of all time. Exploring my range through his songs expanded my vocal boundaries. His poetry is influential in its honesty and guttural feeling. Love him.
4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?
Ava Renn: My music is unapologetically honest. I walk the line between gritty pop and modern industrial rock, as is emphasized in my second studio album Iโm recording over the next two weeks at Pachyderm. Finding my sound has been such a beautiful processโmy first album is experimental, bold, and deeply reflective of the desert mystic energy it was created in. I want to evoke wildness, raw honesty, and introspection in my listeners. I want people to feel awake and alive, in the same way that creating these works does for me.
Each album will show my growthโas both an artist and a human being.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?
Ava Renn: My development as an artist has been a process of rediscovering whatโs already within me. I learned by listening obsessively, imitating, and then unlearning everything that didnโt feel true to my spirit. My sound nowโgritty, cinematic, and emotionally chargedโcame from trusting my instincts over the noise and peopleโs opinions of what I SHOULD sound like. Rock allows me to immerse myself in expression without having to adhere to boundaries.
6. Music often transcends entertainment. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
Ava Renn: I like to keep my music transcendent from the ins and outs of the ever-changing world. The music that lastsโthe kind that truly connectsโalways speaks to human emotion first. My songs will naturally resonate with different situations for different people, but I always let feeling lead the way. Thatโs where truth lives, and thatโs what I want to offer through my art. Times will change, politics will shift, the world may set fire, but emotion IS the human experience.
7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment youโre still seeking?
Ava Renn: The creative process itself is the ultimate rewardโit makes me feel vibrantly alive. That feeling alone fuels everything I do. The impact has already happened within me on such a crazy level; now itโs about sharing that energy on a bigger scale and watching it ripple outward, to whomever may need it. Itโs a beautiful thing to put out work that will stay when I am gone.
8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, whatโs the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?
Ava Renn: My process changes with the day and my mood.
I work closely with my producers to translate my thoughtsโor my (often volatile) emotionsโinto something that feels right, until lyrics start channeling through me instead of me reaching for them. Thatโs how I know a song is working. Not every song makes the cut, but Iโll pull from things that I shelve frequently.
When I write solo, Iโll mess around on guitar or my synth until something magical clicks. My subconscious plays a cool role, sometimes whatever Iโve been listening to that day usually finds its way in through tone or rhythm.
I also love to create in inspiring places. My first album was written in the deserts of West Texas, and my second in the deep woods of the Austin Hill Country. The environment always seeps into the sound in a colorful way.
9 What moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And letโs talk about your latest release and future plans.
Ava Renn: My proudest achievement so far is the team Iโve built around me. Theyโre unbelievably talented and dedicated, and to see them believe in my art so deeply means everything.
Their commitment mirrors all the work Iโve been putting inโitโs a reflection of the energy Iโve poured into this dream.
My latest single, โNone the Wiserโ, is one Iโm incredibly proud of. Itโs part of my upcoming album Lightning Child. I spent a month crafting the creative direction for the music video to capture the feeling of being stuck in a loopโalmost like being underwater ;). It explores one of the darker corners of the human experience that is very real for everyone . The video is performing well, and Iโm so proud of the production.
10. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
Ava Renn: Iโve learned to take external opinionsโgood or badโwith a grain of salt. On Christmas morning last year, I received a death threat under one of my covers, and that day I decided no one else would dictate how I express myself. To master letting go of negativity, I had to stop attaching to too much praise as well. I trust my own discernment now, and thatโs what keeps me grounded, but I also appreciate opinions and advice from those that I love.
11. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
Ava Renn: I find deep peace in the creative processโitโs something Iโll do for the rest of my life. But thereโs nothing like connecting with a live audience. That energy exchange, where art becomes a shared experience, is irreplaceable. Itโs what itโs all about.
12. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
Ava Renn: I believe in radical honesty in my writingโI tell real stories and share raw pieces of my inner world. But I also love that music invites many layers of interpretation for the individual. Our experiences shape how we hear things and color our view. I want listeners to connect however they need to.
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