In this episode of “Bruin to Bruin,” host Aidan Teeger interviews Ava August, a freshman at UCLA and an accomplished singer-songwriter who has already appeared on American Idol and The Voice. The conversation explores August’s journey from her beginnings in Dana Point, California, to her current path as a music industry student, while diving into her creative process, recent music releases and how she balances her budding career with college life.

 

Aidan Teeger: Welcome to Bruin to Bruin. Today, we’re joined by Ava August, an immensely talented singer songwriter and a current freshman at UCLA. We’re going to discuss her creative process and what’s coming up in her career. Ava August, welcome to Bruin to Bruin.

Ava August: Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited to be here.

AT: Thank you for being here. I’m going to touch on your personal background for a minute before we get into your sort of work in the music industry, et cetera. Where did you grow up?

AA: Yeah, I grew up in a little city called Dana Point in Orange County, California. I’m so blessed to have grown up there. It’s honestly shaped my identity and who I am, and it’s a little beach city.

AT: And how long did you live there for before you moved to UCLA?

AA: I grew up there and I’ve lived there my entire life. In the same house, I went to all the local schools: the elementary, middle school, and high school there in Dana Point. I mean, parents are still there. Everything’s, my whole home, my family, everyone’s in Dana Point.

AT: It’s like a beach town, quite similar to Santa Monica.

AA: Yes, I would say it’s a lot more quaint and very small compared to Santa Monica. It feels almost like one of the tiny little beach towns you would see on the East Coast. Very Cape Cod. It’s like its own little hub. There’s nothing else like it. The neighboring cities like San Clemente and Laguna Beach that are next to Dana Point all kind of have their own identity as well. There’s nothing like my hometown.

AT: Do you think growing up in a beach community has shaped who you are today?

AA: Oh my gosh. A million percent. I would say growing up in Dana Point, and being by the water and the ocean and the surf culture is so prominent and popular just in Southern California. And in my lyrics, my songs, I just innately write about the beach and, kind of growing up near the coast. So definitely.

AT: How many songs have you produced to date, if you don’t mind me asking?

AA: Oh my gosh, yeah. That’s a great question. I would say, so, to date of songs that I’ve actually produced and released, I’ve released about eight songs. If we’re talking about just how many songs I’ve written, too many to count. Definitely over a 100 songs for sure, but I’ve actually released eight songs.

AT: So you’ve written significantly more than you put out,. Do you credit that to a mindset where you’re not necessarily striving for perfection in what you do but you’re just kind of playing around more as like an experiment, more for fun in your music?

AA: Yeah, that’s a good question. I would say honestly the reason why I have so many unreleased original songs and only a few that are out is probably because of my journey thus far and like growing up, I didn’t have a lot of access to resources to producers and to be able to put my music out.

And so, I’ve been writing since I was nine years old. And so when you have that much music in a discography of so many songs, I like to almost call it the vault of songs. It’s kind of inevitable. You’re just gonna have so many songs over the years. But I would definitely say right now, I’m kind of a little bit of a perfectionist. And so the music that I release and actually put out on Spotify and Apple Music, I want it to be perfect. And so, there’s so many factors that go into which songs go into release.

AT: I think that’s important for people to hear – that on the surface, you see these songs come out, and they’re very well produced and great, but behind the scenes, it’s not just a one-track upwards trajectory. There are a lot of barriers, failures and stumbling blocks that sort of lead to the culmination of those songs.

AA: One hundred percent. I couldn’t agree more. It’s so true. I think for people who aren’t in the music business, aren’t musicians themselves, or songwriters doing music, when they see this shiny product that’s out and released on Spotify and this beautiful music video, maybe for their favorite artist, there’s so much that they’re not seeing behind the scenes.

There’s failure, setbacks, people in power who are helping them and maybe their team’s like, “No, we don’t think that this song is the vibe.” And there’s so much an artist has to go through from start to finish when you see a shiny product, which is the music. And so it’s been eye-opening just for me and my musical journey, starting at such a young age.

AT: And do you think that process behind the scenes is something that the mainstream audience really understands?

AA: To be honest, I don’t think so. I think a lot of people – and the reason I say it is because so many people who aren’t in the business – will kind of go, “Oh, so you went to the studio today? Is the song coming out tomorrow?” They have no idea. You go back, and I mean, sometimes I work on songs for six months. Like my song, “The End,” that was just released. I’ve had that song, not since last July, but the July before that, so it’s been well over a year that I’ve had “The End.” And like going back and forth to the drawing board and going, “How can we, you know, do this?” or “The mix isn’t right” and “I want to re-record this verse.” It’s very nitpicky. It’s crazy.

AT: But it sounds like you’re well acquainted with the process by now. You know how this goes, and you’re not necessarily put off by the natural hurdles that occur when writing a song.

AA: For sure. And I would say, too, I would rather spend six months on a song to make sure when I listen to it, I don’t hear any little thing that I want to tweak to it than go into the studio, work with a producer or writer, do a song and then feel that pressure where it’s like, “Oh, I have to release a song in a month or something,” and there are still little things that I don’t like about it. Because I think the worst thing for every artist is when you listen to a final master of a record and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, I hear this or that, or the mix isn’t right.” It’s the worst.

AT: And what are some strategies that you utilize pretty regularly to help you kind of muddle through that feeling of being rushed and needing to produce something and needing to produce it now? Are there any strategies? What does the texture of your mind look like?

AA: For sure. I would say, too, because I’m a 100% independent artist and I’m not signed to a publisher or a record label or with a distribution company and signing a distro deal, I’m able to completely control my artist project.

Which is incredible, and there are so many pros to it. Honestly, I think the pros outweigh the cons. But part of that is the release schedule and not feeling that pressure from a label. Because what typically happens is an artist will sign a record deal, and they’ll be tied down contractually to a release schedule where sometimes it really goes down to the last month, and an artist has to work with their producer and produce XYZ amount of songs within two weeks, and there’s no going back, you have to get it done. And it’s been amazing that I’m not tied down to anything like that, so I can go back to the drawing board and say, “Okay, this song sounds great, but we need to edit this bridge,” or “I want to re-record the vocals,” or “I need a new mix.” So there’s none of that pressure, but then there’s also the pressure of if you wait too long to release singles, you lose that momentum.

And I think for artists, that’s the most important thing, especially when you’re up and coming. You don’t have that luxury to just wait a year to release a song. And I also just love releasing music. There’s always that excitement, and it’s why I do it, to release the music. So I never like to keep my fans waiting too long. And, I really am excited too for this upcoming year. I’ve got a lot of songs in a batch ready to go.

AT: Well, let’s talk about some of that passion. First of all, kind of segueing back in time – where did it come from? Where did this love for music start from?

AA: I would say my love for music started – I remember this vivid memory of me in the car seat at four years old in the back of the car – I was just listening, tuning into the radio, and everyone in the car was talking. I just zoned out and solely listened to the music. I was that type of kid where it was always like, “Mom, can you please turn up the radio?” And she’d be like, “Ava, I’m trying to have a conversation with you.”

What are you doing? Every single time a pop song would play on the radio, I was so drawn to it. And I remember, I was a very vocal child. If you ask anyone in my family, they’d say, “We couldn’t get Ava to stop talking, stop singing.”

I was a very theatrical child, and it really started with the national anthems, I would say. I started singing the national anthems at local sporting events. My dad was more of the sports guy in the family, and my mom really nurtured my creativity. I was a very active child as well.

So I would play soccer, and then right after my game, I’d go sing the national anthem for the opening day ceremony. That’s how I got the best of both worlds in the beginning.

I would say, honestly, in the very, very beginning of my love for music, it started with singing and musical theater. I begged my mom to let me do different plays in my local hometown. And that’s kind of where it started—it was the singing for sure.

AT: And what are the resources at Dana Point? Was there, I mean, you mentioned you were doing some of it in high school as well, kind of theater, theater classes, et cetera.

AA: Yeah.

AT: Do you think the resources of being in a small town were an asset or a detriment? You know, did you ever wish, “Oh, damn, I wish I was in New York City right now?”

AA: Oh my gosh, that is such a good question. I would definitely say, as a child and being very young, especially in my early years—eight, nine, 10, 11—it was a dream to be not even in New York, but in Hollywood. Being in Los Angeles has been my lifelong goal. I always thought, especially as a child, “Oh, if I just got to LA, if I just got to Hollywood, I could be on Disney Channel.”

I think, too, that was a huge goal of mine – to do that whole Disney route as a child. I wanted to be on a Disney Channel show and then have the whole record deal part of it, too, where I’m like a singing Disney actor. That was a dream as a child for so long. Especially with my parents, because neither of them is musical – they’re not in the entertainment business at all. So it was always this feeling like, “If I could just get to LA and meet the right people, then my career could take off.” And so I think, especially being here at UCLA, my dream has come true. It’s amazing.

AT: Right. I mean, you basically manifested it. Here you are.

AA: I really did. Yeah.

AT: Season 19, American Idol. Run me through that. How did that happen?

AA: Yeah. So it was during COVID, and I remember all of my performances got shut down because what I love to do – and at the heart of everything in why I do music – is that live fan-to-singer interaction and singing live to people. I love performing. And so all my performances got shut down because of COVID.

I was 14 at the time, and my social media had started to kind of pick up. I started posting behind my parents’ back on social media in elementary school. And I remember, I started to grow a little bit of a following by getting reposted on those different singer accounts online. Someone in my family caught wind of it, and then my mom was like, “Well, if you want to do this, I love it, but I’m going to be managing your socials. You’re too young for this.”

So I was posting since – I mean, I was probably 10 or 11 – and one of my videos during COVID was seen by a casting director of American Idol. This casting producer reached out to me on Instagram DM and literally just asked, “Would you be interested in auditioning for American Idol?”

AT: So he saw a clip of you on Instagram?

AA: Yes. And that’s literally how all of my connections and everything at a young age was honestly fostered and started through my social media and singing videos.

AT: Well take note, I guess, casting directors doom scroll like the rest of us.

AA: I know it’s wild.

AT: So you mentioned a little bit earlier that you kind of got your start in some of the national anthem performances.

AA: Yeah.

AT: Did you perform the national anthem? You performed in some big crowds.

AA: Yeah.

AT: LA Rams, Crypto Arena, SoFi. Was that before season 19 of American Idol or after?

AA: That was after the show. So all the big sporting events in the big stadiums, national anthems were after the show.

AT: Okay, so the show really was – do you think that that was kind of your first crack at a really high-pressure situation where you’ve kind of just got to go out there live?

AA: Oh my gosh. American Idol was something. And still to this day, I’ve never experienced anything like it. And honestly, I think the only time I probably would experience something like that, but not even that type of pressure, would be performing on another show, either Saturday Night Live, or doing the MTV Music Video Awards, or performing at the Grammys or something like that. But doing that, especially at 15, it was one of the most nerve-wracking – and probably the most nerve-wracking – experience of my life, because you’re singing in front of this huge camera that’s in your face, and you’re on the stage, you’re at CBS Studios – that’s where they shoot American Idol – and behind that camera is 11 million plus people watching from their homes on TV, and they’ve got their phones out on an app, and your face is on the app, and they vote for you if they want you to go through the next round.

And so you’re basically singing for your life because you want it so bad. You want to go to that next round. And, I remember every single performance – it’s this type of weakness in the knees, and you can’t even stand up. I don’t even know how I did it because it’s this type of nerve where it’s like, you’re either going to keep going or you’re going to get voted out, and you have to sing for your life.

AT: That type of pressure is scary for people in adulthood, so it’s pretty astonishing. So you were 14 when the casting director first saw you and took interest. You were 15 when you went on the show, is that right?

AA: Yes. Yeah, it was such a long experience. They first reached out to me in June of COVID. In August, I did a Zoom audition with the producers, and then the producers asked me, “Hey, do you want to actually do an in-person audition with Katy, Luke and Lionel in San Diego?”

And so what a lot of people don’t know about American Idol, at least from my experience, is that people often have the misconception that you just show up to the audition, like, “Oh, I’m here, I’m ready to sing for the judges.” But there’s still even a background audition process before that as well.

AT: Right. I mean, I guess everyone’s kind of scouted on some level before.

AA: Yes

AT: Talk to me a little bit about the behind-the-scenes of being a young, enthusiastic star going on these shows. What is it like? I mean, is there anything you want to point out, anything that people don’t know the mainstream isn’t privy to that deserves some attention?

AA: Yeah, for sure. I would say for this – and this kind of applies to child actors, singers, pop stars, anyone in the entertainment business at a young age – there’s so much that goes on, and there’s a lot that’s out of your control. Whether it’s virality online, you can’t control that, or being on a TV show, the producers, it’s out of your control.

And so I think one of the biggest things that I’ve learned is that you really have to remember why you’re doing this. And I think this applies to anyone in entertainment and also just in life and whatever they’re trying to pursue. The best thing that you can do is show up and give it your all and do your best. And I think, being in the entertainment business at such a young age, I’ve seen that there’s a lot of unforeseen forces that determine your fate, especially on a TV show like American Idol.

There are a lot of different factors involved, and learning that it’s not me – it’s sometimes out of my control – was something that was very hard to learn. But it made me a lot stronger. The voting process and performing, the only thing that I needed to think about was giving it my all in that performance and in that moment.

And I think what I’ve taken from that now is whenever I perform, it’s that same mentality. Like, just go in there and prove everyone wrong – a lot of that mentality.

AT: Right. I mean, I was thinking about it earlier today. You go in there as a teenager, and you’re on this platform where, at least on a superficial level, your value and what you can bring are being judged through a few minutes.

And you have to feel the pressure to live up to that judgment. So, I mean, it’s great that you kind of found a way to rationalize that in a sense, because that’s hugely difficult for someone of that age to comprehend. From what you’ve described, it really probably does feel like that as well when you’re doing it, you know?

AA: Yes. It’s very hard. And I think for anyone at any age, it’s hard. Putting yourself out there to be judged is one of the most, I think, nerve-wracking and difficult things for any human being to experience. You know, at some point, it’s no longer about the art anymore – it’s about you as a human being. You’re putting yourself out there, and you don’t know how the public will perceive you.

But it takes a very specific type of person, I think, to be in the entertainment business because the entire time you’re entertaining people, they want to be entertained. And so, you’re inevitably putting yourself out there. You’re going to get good criticism, bad criticism, but someone very wise once told me, “All criticism is good criticism.” Same thing as press – good press, bad press – it’s press, and people are talking about you.

And so I think even being on American Idol really taught me and instilled that message in me that this is what I want to do. I’ve always known my entire life I want to make music for the rest of my life, and part of making art is that people are going to have opinions about it.

AT: That’s a lifelong skill. You know, that’s an attribute you can take with you anywhere. So that’s great. Was The Voice a similar thing?

AA: Oh my gosh. Yeah. The Voice was wild because I was … it was that same thing again where I started the show when I was 12, the audition process, but I was actually 13 when I did the audition. And I was also the youngest on that show. I don’t know if anyone younger has done it, but as far as I know, on that season, I was the youngest. And I was such a little baby on that show. It’s actually wild to think about that whole experience. But I really, I truly do think that going on The Voice and having that experience really prepared me for American Idol.

AT: I didn’t know you did that before American Idol.

AA: Yes.

AT: So I’m just figuring that out. Okay, so The Voice, if anything, was – it wasn’t in front of an audience to the scale of American Idol, I would guess?

AA: Yes, I would say, like, they produced the show at NBC. So, like, NBC Universal Studios is where we filmed it. Like, in the Universal Studios lot, they had a whole crowd in there when we did the performance and the audition. But not as many people, I think, were watching initially in that beginning stage because it’s not as far out. But they still had cameras and everything and the same kind of experience.

So it actually did set me up for American Idol because I still remember the experience of The Voice. And anytime you’re on a TV show like that, they’re teaching you all about the cameras and interviews. And, yeah, I’ve learned so much. I’ve grown so much since then. It’s crazy.

AT: It’s got to feel good in some capacity to go to college and cool off in a sense and be able to produce a little bit more at your own pace and under your own volition and take classes and kind of not have to worry about all that. Is the struggle of – well, I don’t know if it is a struggle, you’ll tell me – is that, do you find it difficult to balance your academic goals with what you want to do with music?

AA: That’s such a good question. Honestly, I think about that a lot, like almost every day. And I think, for me, being here at UCLA, it’s the perfect blend and the perfect mix of what I’m trying to do because it’s offered me a place to live up here in LA.

You know, living on campus, living in the dorms – it’s been incredible. I’m finally in Westwood. I’m so close to everything that I’m trying to do.

And the one thing I do want to mention is my goal has never changed. My goal has always been the same and always will be the same: wanting to be an artist and pushing as hard as I can for my goals to happen and to achieve everything I want to achieve.

But I think being at UCLA, it’s a vessel for that to happen because I’m majoring in music industry (Music history and industry). And so, for the first time in my life, it’s kind of wild that my major and the classes I’m taking are directly related to my actual goals and what I’m trying to pursue in my career.

For so long in high school and all the classes I took, I worked so hard in studying so many different subjects. It’s kind of wild where now I’m actually studying stuff that directly pertains to my career. So it’s the best of both worlds. And I’ve found that it’s been really easy to balance the two, and I’m fully embracing my whole experience here.

AT: So do you think the subject content of this new major that you’re doing does overlap because you’ve got a pretty unique perspective where you can kind of examine that? Does it actually overlap with what you can, what people can expect going into the industry?

AA: For sure. I couldn’t agree more. I honestly think that doing music industry here at UCLA couldn’t be a better fit for me because it’s directly related to everything I’m trying to do. And with my experience thus far in the industry – being on two shows and seeing how this all works, management, and the different roles that industry executives play in an artist’s career – it couldn’t be more kind of symbiotic with the classes I’m taking. It’s like they literally go hand in hand.

AT: Well, that’s good to hear. Let’s segue for a minute and talk about some of the music you’ve released recently.

AA: Yup

AT: So most—Recently, “The End.” I listened to it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

AA: Thank you. I appreciate it.

AT: It struck a different tone from some of the other music that I listened to.

AA: Yeah.

AT: What was it about?

AA: Oh my gosh. So, “The End” is a song that I feel like can be interpreted in so many different ways. But, for me, I wrote it in a place where there was this person in my life who kept kind of coming back into it but then kind of going out of my life again, and I kept wanting them to come back in and giving them so many second tries, to kind of prove me wrong.

This person – they made me feel horrible. They were really affecting my mental health. They were doing a lot of things that someone just shouldn’t do to a friend. And I remember I was really fed up with their shenanigans.

So I had a session with my producer Dylan that summer, and I came up with the chord progression and a few lyrics. The song was birthed, and we literally got the whole song done and recorded in that one day. Just wild.

AT: So that’s a little bit of a break in pattern from some of your other music.

AA: Yes

AT: You kind of – that one really was – you recorded it and just thought, “This one, yeah, this is good.”

AA: And it was wild too, because I had never done a pop rock/punk song before. So that was super fun. I remember my producer Dylan – he’s awesome – and he always kind of pushes me out of my comfort zone and really encourages me to try new things.

As an artist, I think it’s so important to never put yourself in a box with what genre you’re always going for. I would definitely say I stay within the pop genre, but I love to incorporate sub-genres. Maybe a little bit more folk, or more singer-songwriter, more acoustic, and in this case, more pop rock.

I remember it was so therapeutic for me to write this because I got all my emotions out. I don’t know if you can hear that anger in the song with this person who had done me wrong, but it really helped me get through that whole experience.

AT: Well, speaking of that kind of emotion and that kind of diversity in themes, what does the term musical omnivore mean to you? I’ve heard you described in that way.

AA: Oh my gosh. Honestly, in my terms, I think being a musical omnivore is someone who, you know, there are no boundaries to what they like to listen to, what they consume as a listener, but also as a musician.

I think, for me, I love so much music. I love all types of music. And I think for a lot of people too, when you hear my music, there’s kind of a lot of sub-genres going on within the pop genre. I never, ever like to put a wall up or turn away from leaning into a sub-genre of pop.

So my song, for instance, “Move On,” is completely different than “The End.” It’s a pop ballad on the piano – big vocals, very similar to some of Adele’s hits, very Lewis Capaldi. But then I would say “The End” is very Olivia Rodrigo, Paramore – very pop rock. And so I think being a musical omnivore means you’re not discriminating against any genre. You love it all.

AT: Right. I mean, as someone who enjoys all sorts of music, I can appreciate that for sure. You touched on something there that I don’t think I actually asked about. What, what instruments do you play?

AA: Yes, so I play the ukulele and the piano, the acoustic guitar and electric guitar.

AT: That’s a lot.

AA: Yeah. It’s a little bit. I know a few, few instruments.

AT: When did you find the time?

AA: Oh my gosh. I think – I was, you know what, I was a peculiar child. I wasn’t your typical nine, 10, 11-year-old kid where you’d get home from school and just want to hang out with your friends for hours after or, like, go and play video games.

And there’s nothing wrong with that – that’s awesome as well. But for me, I remember I’d get home from school, and the first thing I’d do was go upstairs and play the piano, or go upstairs and write a song on the guitar or ukulele.

I was really lucky that my parents helped foster my love for playing instruments. They had me enrolled in piano lessons and guitar lessons at a super young age. So I just – I fell in love with it. I got lost in the music.

AT: That’s interesting because you said earlier that none of your parents hailed from a musical background as you described it, but it seems like they were more than happy to give you the catalyst to pursue this talent, I guess, that you had, or this interest.

AA: Totally. It’s actually insane. And I still sometimes think about it, like, you know, what did they see? Or I wonder what kind of made them and gave them that encouragement, like, “We’re going to really help Ava foster this.”

It really, sometimes, takes me aback how much they support me, and they’ve been by my side through every single step of the way since I expressed to them at nine years old, like, “Mom, I want to be a pop singer. This is what I want to do for a living.” And it’s kind of wild because so many parents would go, “Okay, that’s fun. But, like, you’re not going to – no, you’re not doing that.” And I think they’ve honestly – they’ve always believed in me.

They’ve always encouraged me, even with my delusional dreams sometimes. You know, a nine-year-old coming up to your parents going, “I want to be a pop star.” My mom goes, “Okay, like, let’s get you in lessons. Let’s have you learn the instruments. You’re going to start the songwriting.” But it was never my parents. It was always me who wanted this.

AT: That’s pretty cool. I mean, either way that you kind of knew what you wanted to do and when provided the opportunity you kind of pounced on it and actually went for it.

AA: Totally. And it’s scary too. I know so many people, especially with dreams and very creative dreams, and I get it – it’s scary. It’s very daunting because there’s a lot of instability with being an artist, being a creative, making art. It strays a lot of people away, I think, from their dreams. But you have to be a little delusional if you want to pursue it full-time.

AT: And how much of this process of producing music do you put down to the actual aspect of producing music? How much of it, because you said you’re more or less a one-woman show, excluding Dylan, the producer. Well, first of all, is there anyone else besides Dylan that you kind of actively consider as part of the team?

AA: Yes. Well, I would say regarding my creative process, it’s definitely been, honestly, for the last probably year mainly just Dylan and me. So, you know, he’s kind of – he’s my favorite writing partner because we write together.

I’ll come with my idea, either a hook or a verse melody, and I’ll play it for Dylan. And then, depending on if we’re both vibing with it and like it, he’ll totally help write the rest of the song and build the track. He’s like my go-to person when we’re creating music.

But definitely, with other sessions and other producers and stuff, I’ll work with other co-writers. So that’s really incredible too, to have co-writers on the song, because then you have myself as a writer, a co-writer in the room, and sometimes the producer will also write and contribute. So you’ve got three brains working instead of just two or one, and you get a lot of good work out of those because you just have so many different influences coming in. But I would say too, besides creatively, like my team – my manager, my manager Jordyn, she’s incredible, and my parents – that’s kind of my team right now.

AT: Especially for your kind of music, which seems to be more about raw authenticity and honesty.

AA: Thank you.

AT: Do you think it helps to have a team that you are close with where you can kind of be vulnerable and explore these topics and just ask, “Hey, what do you think about this?” and not kind of worry that you’re outing yourself in some way.

AA: Oh my gosh, I can’t even stress enough how important it is to have a tight-knit team. Being a musician and an artist in this industry, so many people want something from you, or you don’t know what their intentions are. So to have a tight-knit team like I have right now, where I can be brutally honest, I can be myself. I don’t feel like they’re out to get something from me or trying to trick me into something or anything like that. There’s none of that with my team, and it’s so common, unfortunately very prominent, in this industry where you get some bad team members working on an artist project, and everything goes awry. But I’ve luckily been very blessed to not have encountered that yet in the industry, and hopefully not anytime soon.

AT: Well, let’s talk a little bit about the future and what could be next. Are you planning on taking things kind of at your own pace? Are there any big projects coming up? What’s immediately after this?

AA: Oh my gosh. I would say, right now, I’m currently still promoting my single that came out last month. I’m still actively promoting that, but honestly, I’m just focused on getting in the studio as much as possible and building my vault of songs.

At the top of next year, I’m planning to release a lot more music and, hopefully, an EP of songs. It’s still a little news flash. It’s not confirmed yet. On my socials, I’ll post about it, whether it’s going to be an EP or if I’m still going the single route—I still have to decide.

Short-term, it’s all about being in the studio as much as possible and performing. Long-term, I’m definitely going to keep releasing music. In the following months – January, February – more singles are to come. So I’m very excited about that.

AT: So, January, February – besides that, you’ve got 3 1/2 years left at UCLA. So I would assume you plan on graduating with your undergraduate degree, correct?

AA: I think so. You know, stranger things could happen. Honestly, part of me – I have no idea what even the spring of 2025 will bring. I feel like there’s a lot of exciting things right around the corner. There are a lot of things brewing in the Ava August world. There are possibilities of a tour or potentially an album. I would definitely say, though, more realistically, probably an EP. I’m not opposed to signing with a label or building more of a team. I’m also interested in acting as well. So there’s a lot of exciting things around the corner and things going on in the Ava August world.

AT: Okay, so you’re not subscribing to a totally rigid regime or plan for the future. You’re kind of leaving it a little bit open.

AA: Yes.

AT: Room for spontaneity?

AA: For sure. I really think it’s wherever the music takes me. The one thing I know for sure, and that definitely will not change, is that music will be at the forefront of whatever I’m doing in all of the following years. So, it’s exciting.

AT: The momentum’s not stopping.

AA: No, the momentum – that’s been the biggest thing too – is after my song that just came out is released and everything, making sure to have a lot of singles ready to go right after to keep that momentum.

AT: So you write a lot of music, keep that momentum up. Do you do any other live performances pretty regularly?

AA: Yes. This kind of goes back to my original story of how my upbringing was and growing up in Dana Point, but I love to perform. I love to busk. I’ve been doing it since I was 12.

I often busk down in Laguna Beach on the promenade. It’s so much fun. I’ll sing for two hours usually, and a huge crowd will form on the street. Those street shows are magical. I love to do those. I’m planning to have more of those in the winter months.

Also, in December, I’m going to be doing some holiday shows, which I’m really excited about. In LA, I just did a Sofar Sounds show, which is this really incredible company that hosts private artist events all over the world. They’re kind of like little secret pop-up shows for artists to do. I just did one in Venice, and I plan on doing more shows in LA for sure.

AT: How easy is it if someone’s an aspiring artist and they want to get some experience playing in front of a live audience? How do you recommend they go about it? Just kind of reach out door to door?

AA: Oh my gosh, the name of this game is networking and reaching out to people. You have to expect to send someone a follow-up email up to five times to really get people to respond.

Especially if you’re an aspiring artist and you want to get out and get that momentum of what it’s like to even perform out. I mean, I started with open mic nights after soccer practice when I was nine. I’d beg my mom, “Hey, can we go to the local bar? Can I go to open mic?”

AT: A local bar at age nine?

AA: Yes. It was a local sports bar in my hometown. They had open mic nights on Tuesday. That’s really where I first sang publicly.

AT: You’ve got a cool mom. That’s great.

AA: She’s incredible. And my dad too. They’re both amazing. My mom’s more creative, and my dad’s my roadie. He helps me set up all my shows, helps with the merch, does all the stage lights, the sound. It’s incredible.

AT: Fantastic. We’re going to wrap up pretty shortly. I want to just focus in on the UCLA cohort here.

AA: Yeah.

AT: This is a pretty broad question. Well, let me start with this. A lot of people will hear this and they’ll feel a sense of enthusiasm. People who want to emulate what you’re doing in some capacity. They may not know what direction they want to go in, they’ll feel a little bit overwhelmed, there might be a fear of failure somewhere in there.

AA: Totally.

AT: Even counting a lot of the things we’ve talked about, what are some fundamental core insights, practices, advice that you can give to the cohort at UCLA who want to pursue a career in music but don’t quite know how to go about it?

AA: Wow, oh my gosh, there are so many layers to that question.

I would say, for any of the cohort here at UCLA who’s watching this podcast and listening: The first thing I would do if I were just starting out, and this is something I’m very passionate about and want to make a career and a full-time job, is to firstly, always remember why you’re doing it – and it’s for the love of music.

Secondly, I would network like your life depends on it. Being here in LA, in Los Angeles, is one of the greatest privileges, and you couldn’t be in a better spot for making music and pursuing this career.

So I would say utilize this city of Los Angeles to the greatest of your capacity and advantage. And, what that would mean is honestly to network with everyone in the music school. If you know musicians – if you aren’t a musician yourself, you can’t play instruments, but you want to sing – network with all the musicians here who play. Honestly, if you can, even create jam sessions where you’re working with people, post those on social media.

Another big factor would be, if you want to be a musical artist and you want to be in the mainstream, it really depends on the level of, I guess, recognition you want to have as a musical artist, but one of the biggest things – and it’s something that’s very hard to do – but really, social media is key right now. If you want to be a musical artist in 2024, I would definitely recommend putting time and investing time into social media: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube – all that jazz. Putting yourself out there.

You have to develop a thick skin because when you’re putting yourself out there and posting yourself, either singing or playing, it’s up for interpretation. That’s something I’ve had to learn the hard way over the years through all my experiences. But I would say develop a thick skin, remember why you’re doing it, and network like your life depends on it.

AT: Well, speaking of social media, for people who want to see what you’re doing – listen to your music – where can they find you?

AA: Yes, so I’m pretty much everywhere on the internet, on socials. I’m basically Ava August – stage name Ava, and then August like the month. I’m on everything: TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube – you name it.

AT: Well, great. Listen, Ava, this has been extraordinarily interesting for me at the very least. I know our listeners will find it just as intriguing. I wish you all the success in the world. Hopefully, we can rendezvous and get you back here a year from now, and we can discuss some of the projects that have yet to happen.

AA: For sure.

AT: I wish you all the best.

AA: Thank you so much, Aidan. This has been incredible. I’m honestly so honored to be a guest here on the podcast. I can’t wait for viewers and listeners to watch this and hear our discussion. I can’t wait to be back.

AT: Well, thank you.