Rising pop act AMAVA, the creative brainchild of Madison Slicker, crafts feminist anthems under the moniker of Amava. Her latest single “Muse,” an electro-tinged production which layers her sultry vocals over a hazy soundscape. Inspired the idea of being someone’s muse, the empowering track breaks down the perception that our self-worth is tied to how someone else views us, instead encouraging us to reclaim our identities with confidence. With a sound she self-describes “music to feel to,” the 25-year-old singer has a in background folk music, which is now leaning more towardsmodern-dayy pop.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
What first got you into music?
My first introduction to music was my Dad being in a garage jam band and I’d always find myself on the drums or screaming into a microphone. I got more heavily into music when I started both piano and guitar lessons in-between moving from California to Oregon. I was a part of a program in my school district called the Americana project where you basically learned how to write music, perform, be on stage, etc. and it was basically How to Be an Artist 101. I was really lucky to grow up in something like that and it made me never want to do anything else.
What is your creative process like? It’s changed a lot over the course of the last few years but I’ve found one that really works.
At my core I’m very much a words person so most things start with a lyric or even a completed idea of some lyrical content. Then I will usually just sing some words until I find a melody I like, then usually I’ll take it to a producer and either completely change the song or build off of the idea I have. I’ve been in tons of sessions too as people have been getting back together post-2020 here so a lot of stuff is starting from scratch as well.
Your latest song is 'Muse'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
The first unusual thing about this song is that the idea initially started as a ballad. I had a rough sketch of a verse and chorus over this super Sad Indie Girl piano bit that I had written on my out-of-tune, upright piano. I then took it to the incredible producer Lucas Arens where we finished the full idea and he just absolutely blew it out of the water into what it is now.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced?
In life, it was definitely my Mom passing away when I was 18. A parent passing when you’re still quite young just completely changes who you are as a person and fully shifts how you view the world. I don’t think I’d even be able to recognize the faux-adult, 18 year old I was before she passed. In music, probably getting over my own stubbornness of everything having to be perfect. I’m still working on that.
What is the biggest mistake you have made within your career to this point?
I wouldn’t say it was a mistake because it’s been a natural progression, but not learning how to produce at a younger age. I’ve had the opportunity for years to start learning and just haven’t taken them. Now that I’m learning the basics in my early 20’s, I can definitely see where starting when I was in my teens would’ve been way more useful.
How do you know when a work is finished?
I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so to me a work is finished when it’s finally released.
How useful has social media been for you?
Extremely useful. As someone who grew up on the internet and has been a part of dozens of online communities over the years on Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, Tik Tok, etc., I know how amazing finding your community of like-minded people can be and I’ve been able to use those skills to help cultivate my community of listeners. Tik Tok has helped me get my music in front of tens of thousands of people and I wouldn’t have had that opportunity maybe 5 or so years ago. I am trying to be better about being aware of my screen time however because it can be very easy to get lost in the digital world that you create so it’s just about picking and choosing where and when you wanna put yourself out there.
Do you have a mentor or coach?
My Dad has been a great person in my life that I look up to. I call him for anything and everything. Whether it’s to share exciting news about my career or to ask how I can tweak a recipe. My publisher is also a great sounding board.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
It’s funny because for every 100 or so positive comments you get, you can really only remember the 1 or 2 negative ones. I think the most memorable was when I found out someone made a fan page on Instagram for me. I used to run fan accounts on stan Twitter and Tumblr back in the day so I know how dedicated you have to be to someone to actually go ahead and make one of those. That meant a lot to me.
What are your plans for the future?
I wanna tour so badly. I need an excuse to wear all the fun outfits I’ve curated for live shows. I always joke that performing live is just an excuse for me to have a fashion show.