Ava Valianti is a rising star. There is no denying that she is one of the hardest working, most consistent artists in recent times. She has been delivering high quality art with depth, brilliant instrumentation and poetic prowess for the last few years, and with this tenacity, it is only a matter of time before she truly cracks the mainstream. She has star quality, raw authenticity and undeniable talent. We have had the privilege of featuring a slew of her releases, and when we heard that she was back with a single called Sophomore Slump, we were curious to say the least, and fully intrigued by the artwork which taps into a darker resonance, showing us that Ava can be a baddie too.
Sophomore Slump opens with a dimensional soundscape with textured drums and a timeless melody before Ava shares the vulnerable prose, “Been a pretty shitty summer day, started out with the play, tried out for the lead, basically got the goddamn tree…”
She continues, “It rained with sleet then crazy heat, docs took out my wisdom teeth, now my face and my heart feel swollen, but I feel broken open…”. There is no doubt that Sophomore Slump is about a young woman going through some hard times.
Immediately we can imagine it locking in a sync deal for a movie like People We Meet on Vacation or a scene in Euphoria on HBO which reflects the situational prose. Ava writes about how everything seems to go wrong at once. This is extremely relatable, laced with notions of disappointment and feeling overlooked.
Ava shares how it feels embarrassing to cry in front of someone she cares about. She taps into the sentiment of being overwhelmed, and references her situation as a “sophomore slump of epic proportions…”
She also describes herself as an opportunist, someone who wants to take every chance she can, but, she feels like the opportunities keep slipping away. Ava appears to focus so much on her own failures that she struggles to celebrate other people’s success. She even questions her identity as an artist. This feels really vulnerable and poignant, and again highly relatable. That said, there is hope as she repeats the mantra, “not all who wander are lost.” Even though she feels distorted and tired, she believes that wandering and uncertainty can still lead to meaning.
Ava confesses, “Sophomore Slump is about feeling stuck in that in-between space where you care way too much and still feel like you’re falling behind. It’s almost a way for me to admit that I don’t have everything figured out yet. It’s a song about caring too much, failing publicly, humiliating yourself, crying in front of people you wish you didn’t, and still having to laugh at yourself and move forward.”
As for the soundscape, it is extremely well produced as always – timeless in its essence, and palatable to a mainstream audience. We are also excited to learn that Ava will support the release with a run of upcoming live performances. She was also recently named a Top 3 Finalist for American Songwriter’s Road Ready Talent Contest and will be performing live at the finals in Nashville on March 31st at The Basement East!
We always love what Ava Valianti is creating, and look forward to her meteoric rise. We have added Sophomore Slump to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream her wider discography!