Avro Arvo‘s new single, ‘A Different One’ is out now. Stream it now: https://snd.click/sp0111
Introduce yourself and tell us where you’re from..
Answering this question makes me feel like I’m in French class all over again!
Hello, I’m Scott, and Avro Arvo is my brainchild. I grew up in Liverpool, North England and emigrated to Melbourne, Australia around 6 years ago. Musically, I’ve played piano since the age of 4 and so music has always been an innate passion of mine – piano remains my favourite instrument to play. I’ve taught myself guitar, bass, drums, and a little bit of violin, but that’s still very much a work in progress. I don’t particularly consider myself a singer, but it’s a lot easier to sing on my songs myself, than it is to find the right singer to collaborate with- currently. Outside of music, soccer is my biggest passion, both playing and spectating. Big Everton fan over here. I also hold a lot of value over my family and friends. I love nature and animals of all kinds.
Name one person who has had a big impact on your music career and tell us how they have helped you
It would be hard to pinpoint a particular individual because I’ve been fortunate to have received so much help and guidance over the past few years from so many different people. I’ve networked rather extensively to make a number of connections in the industry, whether that be music managers, A&R folk, or fellow musicians/producers who I can bounce ideas off of. Even a local photographer in Melbourne here has given me crucial objective advice into growing my music career and treating my work as a business, because ultimately, it is. That said, truthfully, my friends and family have had the biggest impact on me. Their support means everything to me and fulfils my purpose in creating music, because music is meant to be shared and enjoyed together.
Your new single ‘A Different One’ is such a beautiful track. So many lovely layers that make the song feel so warm. What was the message you are trying to convey with this record?
Thank you for the kind words! That’s a good question. I feel like the meaning behind the song has transpired over time because I wrote it so long ago. Furthering my comments above, I want people to take their own experiences and apply it to the lyrics – music is a communal experience, yet at the same time we can all take our own subjective experiences and apply them to the story. I purposefully try to make my lyrics and stories relatable – that’s a big aspect of pop music, right? But to actually answer your question, originally I wrote it about someone I met when I arrived into Australia who helped me settle in to the country, but now I have had so many experiences that can identify to the narrative of the song: developing a new romance; meeting someone new; doing something different from the day to day; or moving to a different location; and your perception of what you previously loved has been changed by these new experiences.
Stream Avro Arvo – ‘A Different One’ on all good music platforms: https://snd.click/sp0111
What is your favourite piece of music equipment and why?
You know what, I wish I was cool enough to say ooh my 1960s Fender based on ‘famous musician X’s’ 1974 worldwide tour… but I’m not. In fact, I have such minimal equipment. All I have is a Fender Strat, a Fender bass, a MIDI keyboard, a miniKorg and my condenser mic. At this stage it’s all I need at this point in my journey. I therefore have a hell of a lot of plugins and most of my ‘music equipment’ is in the form of how I manipulate the sounds I create through production/mixing. A sensible answer to this question, however, would be my brain. I constantly make melodies in my head; on occasion, I literally dream songs in their entirety and construct them when I wake up (check out my song ‘Play Games’ – written during a nap on my friends’ sofa!). It’s a little annoying to have such an active brain because I can’t listen to music anymore without over-analysing every element of them, but on the flip side, this grows my subconscious when it comes to writing my own music.
Describe your creative process / routine.
To address the lyrical aspect of my process, my phone is my biggest asset. If you ever have the displeasure of reading the notes app on my phone, you will find all sorts of weird and wonderful lyrics that I jot down whenever something comes to mind. It could be something someone said, or simply a word or sentence that resonates with me – it will be put into my notes. I also use the voice memo app to record myself humming melodies or singing lyrics that I think up.
With regards to song construction and instrumentation, I’m most productive at night or when I go to mix another song and end up writing a new one. The best songs – in my opinion – hit you by surprise and aren’t written intentionally; at least that’s been my experience thus far when just ‘messing around’. I try to take influence from many different genres of music and even have a ‘Production Inspiration’ playlist I refer to when I get stuck or want to reference my mixes against another song.
You are based in Melbourne, Australia currently. What is the music scene like over there?
It’s very good – there’s a plethora of venues and a real thirst for local music. It’s been difficult to play many gigs given the extensive lockdowns we have endured here over the past two years, but I’ve been fortunate to play a few private gigs and a sold out show last year! There’s an abundance of musicians – or ‘musos’ as we’re referred to here – and the creative scene as a whole, is one that I believe to be one of the best and eclectic in the world.
What song/project/album are you most proud of to date?
It has to be my first ever single as a solo artist under Avro Arvo, ‘Thrill Seeker’. I was so self-conscious about singing and also my ability to produce and mix a song myself. It gave me such a confident boost to receive such incredible support from those around me and it spurred me on to where I am today. I also love to reflect back upon that song to see how far I have come in such a short amount of time, particularly with producing music.
Your musical influences are Phoenix, Polo & Pan, Honne & Foals to name a few. If you could tour with any artist who would it be and why?
I would tour with my friends who are musicians and producers because that would be the most fun. People I know. People who I would love to share the experience with. It would be great to tour with someone at the same level as me so that we could share in our successes simultaneously. That said, to tour with Phoenix would be incredible; I have a huge amount of love and respect for their music.
What are you currently working on that we should be excited about?
My next single, ‘Treasure Hunt’, is coming out on March 18th through Soundplate Records and it is my best piece of work to date. I am overwhelmingly excited to release this one into the world as it is more upbeat and leaning towards the direction I wish to further delve into with regards to genre. The song is massively influenced by Rufus Du Sol and the likes. Watch this space!
Click Here to Pre-save ‘Treasure Hunt’ now.
Any advice for new artists?
I consider myself to still be a new artist; very much in the embryonic stage in my career, but there are so many suggestions I would make, from the mistakes that I have made. On that note, making mistakes is a crucial part to your development, so welcome them with open arms.
Do what you love. Write music that means something to you, not necessarily what everyone is telling you to do or what everyone else is doing. Don’t over-complicate your music and also don’t take it to heart if you receive negative feedback or rejection. There’s no such thing as rejection, only opportunities to learn and progress. If you can treat everything as a learning experience, you will, 100%, become better at whatever you are trying to achieve.
I would advise to have a ceaseless thirst for improvement, whether that be reading about song construction, the science and mathematics behind mixing, or simply practicing your performances. You can never get worse, and only become better.
Also, finish every song you ever wrote. You might come back to it one day with fresh ears even if you don’t like the finished product at the time. ‘A Different One’ is a prime example of this and I love how it has turned out after years of going back-and-forth on it.
Avro Arvo – ‘A Different One’ is out now. Stream it on all good music platforms.