We Spoke to AVIV a Toronto based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist about life, music, and patience.
Below is an interview that we conducted with AVIV online before AVIV was going to play at Zona Music Fest in 2022.
TWE: What is your name, introduce what you do/ aspire to be, & a brief backstory of your life
AVIV: Hey! My name is Aviv. A bit about myself, I grew up and still live in Toronto. I’ve been in the big city my whole life and fell in love with the people. I would consider myself an extrovert who loves to get out of the house and meet new people. I come from quite a big family of 6, with a twin brother. There was never a dull moment in the house. Music surrounded me for as long as I can remember and has always been a part of my life. I fell in love with the different sounds and instruments at a young age and my passion has only grown since then.
TWE: Share an inspiring quote you live by and why/ how that helps you.
AVIV: My favourite quote actually comes from my mother. I remember when I or my siblings were at our lowest she would say “sometimes the best thing to do is to sleep it off, the next morning will always grant you an opportunity to make it better.” This quote really stuck with me, and it’s true. Now every time I feel like I’m at my worst and nothing will get better, I simply just think back to what she said, tomorrow's a new day, and I just need to let myself rest with my thoughts.
What do you love most about being an artist?
My favourite part about being an artist is making myself and others feel things. Music is so riveting and gorgeous in the sense that it helps reveal and identify things about ourselves. When I write, I sit with my emotions, digging into my life and brain and putting them to paper. It's my outlet for emotions. Writing and sharing what I’ve found out is my favourite part.
Tell us the story behind your project “Drowning In Culture” in 3 words. What made you want to create this project?
In three words I would describe “Drowning In The Culture” as discovery, simplicity, and rawness. I began writing and slowly fell in love with the process. I was sitting with all these poems and melodies I wrote and felt like I needed to put them out into the world. I was on a red-eye to Los Angeles when the title hit me and I decided I wanted to put this art on a body of work and release it to the world.
You have this encompassing/convicting voice. Is this something that is natural for you?
Thank you! I come from a theatre background and I used to love to scream and belt as high as I possibly could. But then the lovely puberty hit me and I was forced to re-learn my voice. As well, the songs I was writing got more personal and emotional to sing. I focused more on the feelings than on how high I could sing. I started singing like myself and focused on telling my stories instead of the rest.
In your song “Disposable Friends” who is this song about? And is “Disposable Friends” a metaphor for something that you’ve experienced or what is the meaning behind the song?
I remember disposable friends was a title I had a lot of for a long time. I’m a person who loves to give advice, I sit and listen and truly enjoy it. I was lucky enough to not hold too much baggage so I never really needed that person to confide in. But as time passed, and I was going through things in my life, I really did need a friend. Someone who I could talk to and advise me on my own emotions, but when I turned to the people who I had listened to and helped the most, I felt like a burden, and they were interested. I felt as if that’s all I was, someone to talk to not someone to care for. I felt truly disposable.
In your song “ Girls in Red” there is this slight distortion/crackling feel to the song is that made by design as your way of letting go of what was holding you back and you move on? Or what is the reason/story behind it?
I wanted girls in red to feel as raw as possible, we recorded many of the instruments on a tape recorder. Girls in Red is about not feeling good enough. You give someone your all but you’ll never be like the “Girls in Red.” I think I still feel this way sometimes. I’m still figuring myself out, but along the process, I tend to lean on what works for others as I assume it’ll work for me too. But I lose myself when doing that. I’m slowly learning that until I’ve found myself and expressed love within, I’ll never feel like I’m enough for someone.
In two sentence describes to us the meaning behind the song get to bed dawson & celebrate.
I love Dawson Leery from Dawson’s Creek. He was and still is my favourite lover boy. That show feels like adolescence to me, this song is about my first sweet and innocent “crush,” I had a nickname for him, Dawson.
Celebrate was written because I have concluded there are not enough songs about the break upper, only for the broken up with! But truly, leaving someone can hurt just as much if not more.
Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations?
I grew up listening to a lot of Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Eliott Smith, The Beatles, The Smiths, etc. They inspired and fuelled my love of writing.
Was there a special moment in your career so far that has really impacted you today?
Absolutely. The first time I played a show and someone in the audience knew the words to my song. That was really special, I remember it made me extremely emotional. Music is a long and difficult process with many downs and ups. Seeing this made me feel over the moon and just so special and loved.
What are some of your hopes/ goals/ aspirations for your career?
I hope to one day write a full-length album. I have been working on a project which is a bit more low-scale but set to release soon. I have loved the process of making this project and hope to expand it even further.
What advice do you wish you had received when starting out that you want to share with other artists in a similar space?
I wish someone told me patience is key. A career takes time to build and the music I wrote starting out I would never dare let anyone hear. I would say take your time and focus on the music you love. There’s no right recipe, so may as well write about what’s true to you.
When everything is all said and done and you’ve accomplished everything that you’ve done do you want to be remembered or recognized?
I would hope so. I think everyone wants to leave their own mark in our lifetime. My goal is that when the day comes when I am no longer here, people will still listen to my music. Similar to Eliott Smith, his legacy lives on and he is truly incredible. He is gone but his music lives on within me. There is something beautiful about it, it makes the music feel sacred and valuable.
You can follow AVIV Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, and Twitter.
Listen to DROWNING IN THE CULTURE wherever you stream your music at.
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