Ava Della Pietra may be young, but she’s fearless.
The almost-17-year-old singer-songwriter is well beyond her years, as she’s written over 120 songs, and her new single, “my boyfriend,” shows off her blossoming musical abilities and devotion to her craft.
Released on May 20th, “my boyfriend” displays her gentle floating melodies, and emphasizes her youthful poetry, which she isn’t hesitant to convey. Pietra’s vivid outlook and unfettered lyrics allow us to experience her reality. The fluffy clichés transport us back to our adolescent years and make us reminisce on our first love.
At age 7, Pietra performed in 27 cities as Little Cosette with the 25th Anniversary National touring production of Les Misérables. By 10, she established herself as she began a two-year run on Broadway as a member of the original cast of School of Rock. After a powerful run on the theatrical stage, she chose to further pursue singing and songwriting.
In a short time, Pietra has garnered an audience with her 1M+ YouTube views and 700K+ Spotify streams. She is a talented pop musician on the rise with a bright future ahead, especially with her new EP, truth or truth, looming on the horizon.
We got the chance to chat with the young performer about the new single, her theater days, and what lies ahead.
I see you’ve been writing songs since you were 10-years-old, and at just 16-years-old, you’ve already established yourself as an artist. Who or what influenced you to start making music and performing?
I’ve always been in love with performing ever since I was really little. I loved singing, stomping my feet around the house trying to tap dance, and coming up with melodies to tell my parents about my day! When I booked my first professional role as Little Cosette in the National Tour of Les Miserables when I was seven, my career as a performer began.
In addition to musical theater, I became really interested in songwriting because of my love for storytelling. I recorded my first song when I was 10 in a recording studio in New York City while I was in School of Rock on Broadway. My music when I was little was influenced by Broadway music or Disney music, but now people like Dua Lipa, Alec Benjamin, Lorde, Maroon 5, Sam Smith, Conan Gray, and so many more artists inspire my style.
What has your schooling life been like, and does music and performing take priority?
Since I’ve been performing from a very young age, I’ve gotten pretty good at balancing school with performing. I do really well in all my classes while still finding time to write music or play my instruments. Songwriting is a form of relaxation for me, so it’s a nice way to wind down at the end of the day.
So you recently dropped your new single, “my boyfriend.” Can you talk about your vision behind this song and perhaps the feelings behind it?
“my boyfriend” was inspired by an experience I had while I was hanging out with my friends who were all talking about their crushes or boyfriends. All of a sudden, I realized that up until right then I hadn’t been super interested in dating anyone. I had crushes here and there, but all of a sudden I really wanted a boyfriend! Then I picked up my ukulele and tried to think about what I want my first boyfriend to be like, and how I want to fall in love with him.
Who helped produce it and bring it to life?
“my boyfriend” was produced by Steven Martinez. I really love the production and the harmonies, because I think it reflects the dreamy lyrics and sentiment of the song.
What can you tell us about the upcoming EP, truth or truth?
truth or truth is a five song EP of music I wrote over the past year. The title was inspired by one of my favorite lines in “my boyfriend”. I think the name also reflects how honest I am in my lyrics, and how I’m discovering my own truth in telling my story. I can’t wait to see what people think!
So tell us more about your time performing on School of Rock and your other theater appearances. What were these experiences like, and what might you have learned so far?
School of Rock was an incredible experience because I was a swing where I understudied six roles. Being a swing was SO fun because I always had to be ready to perform at any moment. Some of my castmates would call out a few minutes before the show started, or a few girls even called out in the middle of the show! Performing on Broadway with so many talented people really solidified my love for musical theater. I also learned a lot about having confidence and energy on stage.
What has been one of your favorite/most memorable moments in your young career?
Performing as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock 15 minutes into the show is definitely one of my most memorable moments in musical theater! I’ve also performed at the Tony’s which was extremely exciting. In terms of my songwriting career, I had this experience performing at Sundance Film Festival when I was about 13 where I had just finished my first ever 30-minute set and someone in the audience yelled “encore!” This was really special to me, and I think that was the first moment I realized that people truly enjoyed my music!
Do you have a dream performance or collaboration?
I would love to collaborate or perform with Conan Gray, Alec Benjamin, or Olivia Rodrigo! They are all so inspiring.
Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?
In the next five years, I hope to release a few albums and maybe even appear in a TV show or movie! Maybe I will be on a music tour! I can’t wait to continue to share my music with the world.
What else might fans expect from Ava Della Pietra this summer, and frankly the rest of the year?
In addition to my EP, I will be releasing an LP at the end of the year along with a few music videos. I really hope people can relate to my songs and enjoy them. I have so many stories to share!
Photo by Shervin Lainez
