Emerging artist Dolly Ave is forging her own path in the music scene. Drawing from a wide range of global musical influences, her sound continues to evolve but is still distinctly her own with deep personal lyrics.
Jampak had the pleasure of covering Dolly Ave's debut headline performance in Santa Ana and got a chance to interview for her Summer Tour "Don't Wanna Go Back"
Please introduce yourself to our audience. Where are you from, and what you are currently working on?
DOLLY: Hi everyone! I’m Dolly Ave and I’m based in Los Angeles, California. I’m excited to share about this upcoming record, “Bad Brain.”
Do you have a pre-show ritual at the moment besides vocal warm ups. Anything you believe works best to feel relieved before a performance?
DOLLY: Honestly when I can I keep to myself as much as possible. I used to suffer from horrible nerves before I would go on stage. It helps ground me before a performance.
What is your favorite song of your own at the moment that you are loving to play each night?
DOLLY: I love to perform my unreleased song “In Trouble.” It’s early on in my set and one of my less wordier songs where I get to belt and play around with my vocal range.
As your sound continues to evolve, what is the mindset for your new album and how does it compare to your previous work?
DOLLY: I am really proud of this album. I know I’ll make more music and evolve and become a better performer and writer, but right now I stand by the work I put in from the visuals to the storytelling. Making an album is not an easy task, so my mindset is to shout at the top of my lungs that we did it. Everyone who worked on this did this with me.
What was your thought process on the decision to settle in California like?
DOLLY: My heart craved something more than what home (Missouri) offered me. I was a restless kid and my mom would always complain that I had “wandering feet.” She was right. The city was always for me. It helps that California doesn’t snow very often.
What theme do you keep returning to in your songwriting? What keeps you true to yourself?
DOLLY: It’s impossible for me to not write about mental health. That seems to stay and is a big part of my message that has been consistent in every album I’ve worked on.
What's one of your goals that you would want to cross off your list before this tour ends? What's something you're hoping to reach? It could be metaphorically or psychologically
DOLLY: My goal is to see every show through. That sounds like a given but it can be taxing physically and mentally at this stage to embark on a tour. My goal is to put my head down, do the work, and perform every show one hundred percent. Every person in that room matters. I don’t know what they’re going through or why they chose to spend a day at my show that night, and so it’s a big responsibility to show up for them.
What is your favorite lyric to have written down/ proud of to have come up with?
DOLLY:
We were purple
You left me blue
Colors fade
Like lovers do
It is a track off the new album called “Hush Hush Hush.”
A fun question, other than your own catalogue, do you have a theme song you’d attribute to your tour so far? If not, what would you choose?
DOLLY: What a fun question!
“What’s up People?!” by Maximum The Hormone
Let's keep it fun, rapid fire questions:
BOBA OR SAGO? Boba!
VINYL OR STREAMING? Vinyl!
DAY OR NIGHT WRITING SESSIONS? Night!
LYRICS FIRST OR MELODY FIRST? Lyrics!
DREAM VACATION? Japan!
WHAT WAS THE FIRST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? Two Door Cinema Club
WHO IS YOUR MOST UNEXPECTED ARTIST IN YOUR PLAYLISTS? Kendrick Lamar
LASTLY, DREAM FESTIVAL TO PERFORM AT AND WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ALONGSIDE THE LINE UP? Lollapalooza amongst Hayley Williams, Dominic Fike, Sza, Tyler The Creator, and MGMT
Thank you to Dolly Ave for the coverage and the time to answer our questions. She is still on tour and with a new album set to release, we are looking forward to the next chapter!
📸/✍️: Ricardo Arriaga @aurorealis64