Toronto Pop Rock Artist Heather Avalon Shares Empowering Single “Use Me”
Heather Avalon is a 22-year-old independent singer-songwriter living in Toronto, ON who has been singing since she could speak and writing since the young age of six. Her mother, Allyson Morris, is a Toronto jazz musician who shaped Heather’s life through the art of music. Starting to play piano when she was seven followed by guitar at 10, and Heather would often perform at local bars alongside her mom while she was growing up.
Over the past three and a half years, she has been in and out of the studio writing, recording, and creating as much as possible. Two years since her last release, Heather is coming back even stronger with her new single, “Use Me,” inspired by past heartbreak. Despite consistently making a lot of indie/bedroom pop music in her early days of recording and releasing, she wanted to take the turn from polished pop to a more high energy, rough, rock sound which is exactly what can be heard on “Use Me.”
Heather shares,
“Use Me” was inspired by moments of weakness in regards to an ex-partner. The song showcases that no matter how far removed from someone you may be, being single can get lonely and sometimes, as human beings, we crave the comfort and validation from a person so much that we allow them to use us.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Heather Avalon and I am a singer-songwriter based in Toronto, Canada. I am 22 years old and I have had a passion for music since the age of 5-6. Both my parents were into really interesting artists and we would constantly have music playing in the house. I started learning how to play the piano at 7 and since then I couldn’t stop creating. Fast forward to now, I have 4 songs released and so many more on the way.
Your new single “Use Me” marks a shift in your sound from indie/bedroom pop to a more raw, rock-inspired energy. What inspired this change, and how did it feel to move in a different direction musically?
I think the idea to move in this direction has existed since I first started recording music, it was just a matter of leaning into it and not letting my own anxiety and fear get in the way of making the type of music I wanted to make. When I first started making music, my goal was to make something that the listener would like, something fun, upbeat, and digestible. I realized about a year or two into making music that I loved what I did so much it never should have been about making music for anyone other than myself. This shift happened in early 2023 and I started recording more high-energy, rock-oriented music and I absolutely loved it. All my favourite bands and artists now and growing up have been rock-influenced and I felt I really resonated with that style of music and wanted to begin making it. Once I got over the fear of what other people were gonna think and decided to start doing this for me and only me is when I started making more music influenced by artists I liked and it was also the first time I felt genuinely happy with something I made.
Your mother, Allyson Morris, is a jazz musician who had a huge influence on you growing up. How did her music shape your approach to songwriting and performing?
My mom used to have me open for her at her shows back when I was a kid so I never really knew the feeling of nervousness when getting up on a stage to perform. I think her giving me those opportunities at such a young age really allowed me to find my love of music and my love of performing. Most people ask me how I don’t have any nerves when it comes to getting up on stage and performing and I honestly think I owe it all to my mom. From a young age, she saw that I had this raw talent and she wanted to give me as many opportunities as she could so not only did she let me perform with her but she also bought me studio sessions for my birthdays and Christmases and I think that also really shaped my songwriting abilities. To be an 11-year-old girl stepping into the studio with a bunch of professionals was really daunting but I think it allowed me to explore my love of music and enabled me to think outside the box when it came to writing. I owe a lot to my mom, I love her so much and she really is my best friend I am so happy she saw something in me from a young age and did everything in her power to allow me to harness that love for music and make what I wanted without the judgment from anyone but myself.
You mentioned that the recording process for “Use Me” felt different because you were working with your best friend and producer, Ethan Surman. What was it like to have that level of comfort and vulnerability in the studio?
Ethan and I have been friends for a few years now and since we met we have been making music and writing together. I think I have always been a little bit scared of writing with other people as I often question whether or not what I write is good enough. Ethan pushes me in a way that no one has before. Instead of either telling me everything is perfect and doesn’t need tweaking, or telling me that the idea isn’t there and we should start from scratch, he meets in the middle and tells me his thoughts, but doesn’t pressure me to change anything if I don’t want to. He recognizes that at the end of the day, it is my song and he can only give as much feedback as I am willing to receive. Since working with him I have become so much more open to receiving feedback, especially from him because I know he has my best interests in mind and also wants to make really good, cool-sounding music. He has this way of putting ideas out there and allowing me to explore them and we meet on somewhat of a middle ground where everything has been explored and we know that we are getting the best and most authentic version of the song.
You’ve been making music for several years now. Looking back at your early recordings, how do you feel your artistry has grown or changed since then?
When I look back on my writing from when I was really young, I get somewhat emotional because I realize how much I have grown and how much I have experienced in my life that shapes the music I make now. Not that any of what I wrote as a child was bad, it was just different and lacking a lot of adult experience. The change I’ve seen since I started recording my first songs in the studio in 2021 is that I’ve grown out of any fear or anxiety I had about working with other people. I think I am a talented individual who can write great music but I used to get very caught up in what other people’s opinions were about my music. There was this pressure of going into the studio and bearing my soul to someone I didn’t even know, and when they would tell me they didn’t like what I had written, I would lose hope and change everything on their own accord. Now if I go into the studio and someone tells me they don’t like something, first I will question it and ask them to explain in further detail what exactly they mean and what exactly they don’t like. After hearing everything they have to say, if I agree with their ideas, I will tweak the song and if I don’t agree with their ideas I will keep it the same because I know that if I am going to bring something into the studio, it will be my best work. In hindsight I let a lot of outside voices and opinions dictate the style of music and the lyrics of my music back when I first started making music, now I simply make everything for myself and I will still take criticism, I think that’s an important aspect of the creative process, but I will make sure by the end of the sessions that I am 100% in love with the song and I have not become complacent in allowing others to make my music for me.
What’s next for you after “Use Me”? Are you planning to release more music soon, or do you have any upcoming projects you’re excited about?
I have so many songs I am working on with a few different producers right now. I am hoping to finish off some songs that have been in the works for a year or two now and put them all out on an EP or potentially an album. I’m not exactly sure what that will look like but all I can say is there will definitely be more music from me in 2025.