Ava Bryant is an alternative pop artist born and raised in the Houston, USA but is now based in New York City. She’s been recording music since 2018 but I’m only just discovering her now, thanks to her breath-taking new EP My Life So Far.

By Graeme Smith

Ava counts among her influences Maggie Rogers and Kate Bush, and it’s their kind of unexpected take on pop music that you get from Ava’s sound. She makes an early statement with the title of opening track who the hell am i? A stark, no-nonsense rendition of her doubts and feelings associated with living in a new city. The pensiveness is swept away by a lively, upbeat first chorus.

From there, she dives headfirst into youthful abandon in track two it’s so fun! It takes the rough with the smooth in an arrangement that combines intimate piano with groovy bass and sax. Forget me is more introspective. It’s a breakup song that’s elevated by Ava’s compelling vocals and dream pop instrumentals.

The EP is rounded off by give me you and we’ll be okay. The former is an intimate love song, with a heartbeat rhythm and early Taylor Swift-esque romanticism. The latter is a vibrant, optimistic anthem. Drums and hand claps create a percussive opening and the lyrics speak of empowerment and refusing to be small. It slowly builds in intensity before arriving at a perfectly climactic ending.

Though we’re new to Ava’s music, she’s already making quite a splash on the underground pop scene. Previously released singles it’s so fun! and Always You have amassed over two million streams on Spotify between them, and Ava has a growing fanbase worldwide. You can now count me among them. My life so far is a stunning introduction to her music. Now’s the time to get on board. You can check out the whole EP below.