Ava Valianti On the Making Of “Buttercups”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "Buttercups" and the story it tells?
“Buttercups” is a song that started musically, and lyrics came after. I knew I wanted to have certain melodies that were standing out to me, and once I wrote the lyrics, I wrote them to match the sound more than anything else. The lyrics in the song, while not derived from real experiences, draw from emotions I’ve had over the course of my life, and I really wanted it to tell the story of love, loss, and staying with someone even when you don’t think you should.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for this song?
I’d say that writing - both lyrically and sonically - the whole second half was a huge breakthrough for me. For years, I’d had pieces of the first half and really loved it but had never truly figured out where the song should go, until I started to focus on it about a year later and came up with the lyrics to the second half. I was so excited to bring it to the studio, where my producers helped me eventually find the sound for the second half of the song! Just seeing it all come together like that was really invigorating.
What did you enjoy most about making "Buttercups?"
Definitely just getting to create the song’s backing in the studio. This song was rich with harmonies which I always love, had so many instruments within it, and had really fun, distinct sections that were so amazing to make. I just really had so much fun creating this song and my producers did a wonderful job of making “Buttercups” come to life!
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in music?
I started to sing in musicals at age 3, but I was afraid of singing on my own so I went to a voice teacher at age 7 and I’ve been singing ever since! I wrote my first song at age 10, and recorded my first song at age 12. My first single, “bubble wrap”, came out in October of 2023, and I’ve been releasing singles ever since then! I’ve also been playing live since late 2023, and now I’m gearing up to release my first EP!
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
Definitely just the engagement and kindness I feel from the crowd. It’s such a huge thing when people will truly listen to your music and be attentive, it’s exciting to see that they hear it and like it! And also just the reactions from the crowd make me so so happy, it’s just a surreal experience to sing your songs to people and to have people sing them back to you! Wouldn’t trade it for the world.
