Ava McKechnie is a singer and songwriter from Greystones, Co Wicklow, and a recent graduate of BIMM University Brighton. OTwo Editors Alice Keegan and Laura Molloy chatted to her about her life, career, and her latest EP, Daydreaming, which released on October 10th.
Ava discovered her passion for music from as young as the age of four. Despite having never studied music before college, Ava remembers her passion always being there. She said it was a “hidden passion” while she attended Temple Carrig Secondary School. “I only ever sang to my mom,” McKechnie shares.
When it came to thinking about her future after the Leaving Cert, McKechnie was not sure what she wanted to study. “I went to my career advisor in Temple Carrig, and she was like, do not go do music,” McKechnie remembers. She continues, “I think her saying to do that made me realise, [I felt] really disappointed. And I was like, no, I think I need to go give my all to music. So I think that's when I really decided that I would want to do it for life”.
When asked when McKechnie realised music could become a full time career, she reflected back on her time studying at BIMM University Brighton. “I knew I wanted to go to college abroad, but not too abroad, because I wanted to still pop home to my family. So, yeah, I went to England. I didn't know a soul over there or anything.” She continues, “Brighton is such a music hub. And literally everyone of all ages is doing music.”
McKechnie also discussed the benefits of having the experience of attending a music college, and how this helped open her eyes to the different roles in the industry. “Being in music college, I could see so many people, even the lecturers, they all had made a life out of music, even if they weren't like super well known – I mean, some of them were really well known and really successful, but some of the people are just like, you know, they're releasing songs, teaching music and doing all this. So, I think that's when I really decided that just from being so immersed in it, I wanted to do it as a career”.
When asked if attending a music college helped her confidence to grow, McKechnie replied, “Yeah, because everywhere in Brighton, every night there's like, one hundred open mics. So I did my first performance with my friend I met over there. And I was so shy. Like I was, my voice was shaking. I was so nervous.” McKechnie explained that, “the more and more you do,” helps the process to become less daunting. “I guess I kind of was like, fake it till you make it,” McKechnie jokes.
McKechnie speaks about the biggest influences and inspirations throughout her career. “Growing up, you would hear most parents, I think, playing, you know, like Elvis or Oasis, those kinds of things. My mum actually literally just played Taylor Swift all growing up. She was obsessed with Taylor Swift,” McKechnie shares with us. “I just loved her songwriting and her lyricism. I think she made me fall in love with music and writing music,” she adds. “As I got a bit older, I really loved Maggie Rogers. For my college interview, I auditioned with an Imelda May song, who I was listening to all through sixth year.”
McKechnie also reflected on the process of releasing her first single ‘Rose Coloured Glasses’.
She jokes how she “didn't realise before going into music, you don't realise how much money everything is. Everything is like, extortionate.” McKechnie was due to audition with a band for end of term gigs at BIMM. “My band last minute fell apart. Someone flaked out. And I was like, oh my God, will I just go audition by myself? But you can't really audition by yourself.
So I went up, I auditioned by myself and he ended up seeing me there. And basically he put me in touch with this producer who just invested literally a whole song into me. We did a collaboration on it, and I just recorded with him for a few months and did my whole first single with him.”
McKechnie described performing her first gig in London last year with her band she met in BIMM as "incredible...all my family flew over and everything.” Later, she performed at Electric Picnic on the Three Music stage. After a long period of open mics, "I got that really big opportunity, that was amazing". When asked whether she learned anything from those experiences, and if it changed how she felt about being an artist, McKechnie replied, "Yeah, 100%. I think playing live is definitely one of the best parts because you get feedback from people and they let you know which songs they enjoy and which songs they like listening to."
McKechnie also reflected on a time in her career where she wondered if music was really for her. She remembered her anxieties after moving to Brighton, where she "was always inspired," and the progress that followed thereafter, to wondering, "how do I get to the next stage... what do I write about? I'm so happy... I can only write about sad things." Despite this "block,” McKechnie realised "I can take inspiration from books, people around me,” rather than just her personal experiences.
She also reflects on her dissertation year as a period where she had little time for a social life or opportunities to go home as she tried to keep up with both college and social media. "It takes up so much of your college experience, I guess. You have to either be dedicated and want to get somewhere and give it your all, or you kind of give it a half job and live your life....So I think then I was like, do I want to give up this much of my free time to this? But then I was just like, yeah."
BIMM helped her stay committed by being surrounded by other music students – while Dublin "has grown so much as a music scene", Greystones is comparatively smaller. It was upon moving to Brighton, meeting people passionate about music; "I was like, well if they're all doing this, so can I.”
McKechnie revealed that her favourite songs which she has released are "Everything About You" and "I'll Wait". With regards to the former, "I spent so much time by myself just crafting it... and it was the first song that I recorded with all my band members". She went on to perform this song on the Six O'Clock Show, just after it was first released; "it was such a huge opportunity, I was like, okay, if people happen to watch that, then maybe they'll want to listen to that song".
McKechnie joined Aslan and performed at the O2 Academy in London and Liverpool. "That was the most incredible thing ever, because I opened for them in Greystones in the Whale Theatre first and then from then they reached back out to me... They're the loveliest people and such, obviously, an iconic band. So it was so nice to spend time with them and go to two shows with them. I'd never been to Liverpool before, it's the most amazing city... And London was amazing as well. The sound in the O2 Academies is incredible and it was obviously one of the bigger gigs that I've ever done. So it was just so lovely that they asked me and it's such a great opportunity to play music to a different audience that I would never get to play with...it was brilliant."
Keegan asks, "Keith Richards once said that when it comes to songs, you can kind of apply whatever interpretation you want. Do you think that applies to your music?" McKechnie replied, "I think that's so true. If I'm writing about a personal experience, I have my totally own interpretation. But that's like the first thing I always ask . . . I think it's up for everyone's own interpretation".
When asked if she had any advice for someone looking to get into music, McKechnie said, "The whole music industry is about confidence... being brave enough to sing on stage," so recommends building that up through local open mics, at school and on social media. She also recalls her own feelings being conscious of other peoples thoughts and opinions but said, "I remember someone told me once, you walk into a room, are you thinking about everyone else and not really thinking about yourself? Like, most times you're worried about what other people are thinking of you."
McKechnie's EP 'Daydreaming' is out on 10th October. Containing six songs written between the ages of 16 and 20, "I think it sums me up from the experiences I've gone through at different ages, some happy songs, some sad songs". Apart from that, McKechnie plans to continue doing support acts, getting a consistent routine with social media and "integrating into the Dublin music scene because it's such a nice welcoming scene and I just [would] love to play a few more venues around here . . . start working with maybe some Irish producers for my next EP," in addition to both writing and spending time with friends and family.
More things are to come from the Greystones singer, but for now listen to her EP and keep up with her social media @avamckechnie on Instagram!