They Got the Beat: an Interview with Avenue Beat
[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us about yourselves.
[AVENUE BEAT:] We’re Avenue Beat, we are a trio, we sing things. We've been friends since we were 14 and then we moved to Nashville. We put out a song on TikTok and here we are.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How did you guys meet each other?
[AVENUE BEAT:] We all grew up in the same hometown, Quincy, Illinois. Savana and I [Sam] were baby friends and then we met Sammi when we were 14, doing musical theater camp.
[UNPUBLISHED:] When did you guys start making music together as a group?
[AVENUE BEAT:] When we all met we would sing in Sam's kitchen for fun. We would make YouTube covers because we've always wanted to go viral. The universe works in mysterious ways.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What's the inspiration behind your band name, Avenue Beat?
[AVENUE BEAT:] Online band name generator when we were 15 and we can't change it now.
[UNPUBLISHED:] If you could change it, would you?
[AVENUE BEAT:] We tried. We tried a lot but we cannot think of anything.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How would you describe the genre of music you guys make?
[AVENUE BEAT:] We like to say the genre really depends on the song. We write a song and then the genre is whatever that song ends up being.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us about the inspiration behind your hit song F2020.
[AVENUE BEAT:] Basically it’s just about this wack year. Sammi's cat died and we yeah we got our first single pulled at country radio. We felt like failures. We were touring and had stuff planned and then the pandemic happened.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Since your song F2020 is about how horrible 2020 has been and you guys got a lot of positive recognition for the song. Has your perspective on 2020 changed?
[AVENUE BEAT:] It's definitely strange. It's this emotional whiplash because we were in a set of circumstances that we were really upset about right before the song was written. That negative stuff doesn't go away but we've got this high extreme of getting recognition for our music which is incredible. It's a bit of a nice distraction from the sad stuff for sure. We're big believers in the universe has a plan for you and there might be some garbage you have to deal with but it's going to set you on the right path.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Did you guys anticipate blowing up and how did you react to going viral on TikTok?
[AVENUE BEAT:] We just put it up and we had only gotten 6000 views on a video before then. We woke up the next morning and saw the video had 5 million views overnight. We're like, “Okay, this is what going viral is.”
[UNPUBLISHED:] Has your overall experience on TikTok and social media in general been positive?
[AVENUE BEAT:] It's generally been really positive, we have a bunch of really supportive amazing fans that we've made. It really does depend on the platform. TikTok is very positive because if you don’t like a video you can just move on, unlike YouTube where we’ve gotten hate comments. Facebook is maybe not our demographic and we get it. It's a mixed bag but from the places that we spend most of our time, it's been very very positive which has been great.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What doors have opened up for you guys since you have gone viral?
[AVENUE BEAT:] A lot, especially our song getting played on the radio. Last year we were begging people to play it, and now without us even trying, people started playing it on the radio which has been insane. There's the National Action Committee where artists get together to motivate people to vote, so that's been really cool to use our voices for positive change.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How did you guys get signed to your record label?
[AVENUE BEAT:] It was three years ago, we were already working with a management company and they set us up with a bunch of meetings and we just went around to people in that field to figure out who the right fit was and then we started working with that team and it was really cool.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has COVID affected your music-making process?
[AVENUE BEAT:] It's given us a lot more time to sit with our feelings so we have a lot more introspection. We have been forced to sit alone with our thoughts, we've kind of had to shift. We had some growing pains, but we got there eventually. Either way, we get inspiration from making dumb decisions.
[UNPUBLISHED:] When it comes to brainstorming music how do you tackle it since there are three of you?
[AVENUE BEAT:] Sam usually has an idea and so many feelings – super loving feelings, little body. Sammi’s really good at lyrics and coming up with words to say and then I'll [Savana] usually put them in a melody. We learned how to write together so we've got our process down.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How do you think having such a large young female fan base is going to inspire young girls who want to make music?
[AVENUE BEAT:] I hope we use it for good. We really want to send the message that we don't want to give you unrealistic expectations. Life is hard sometimes. Mental health is an issue and it’s not always a cute look. We want to bring a level of reality to our humble little place in the music industry so young girls can see themselves in us and feel proud of that.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How do you guys feel being a girl band?
[AVENUE BEAT:] We love the idea of a girl band getting just as much hype as One Direction. We love girl bands and so many of them are so talented and we want more to be able to grow in the industry.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What are your guys's favorite songs you’ve released?
[AVENUE BEAT:] “I don't really like your boyfriend”, it wasn't on the EP but it was about my friend’s horrible boyfriend that she eventually broke up with and I'm proud of that.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Who are some of your musical inspirations?
[AVENUE BEAT:] One Direction and occasionally other pop songs here and there. Classic rock or Jimmy Buffett. It's kind of weird to cite as a source of our inspiration, but we met doing musical theater so that has inspired how we write songs.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Who is your dream collaboration?
[AVENUE BEAT:] Kacey musgraves, we love her aesthetic. I don't care if she wants us to just wave a flag in the background, we’ll do whatever.
[UNPUBLISHED:] If you guys could describe your group in three words, what would they be?
[AVENUE BEAT:] “Trying their best.”
[UNPUBLISHED:] Where do you guys want your career to go from here?
[AVENUE BEAT:] We have no expectations for anything so we don't get disappointed. It’s trauma from 2020. We would love to tour and get back out on the road and see where it takes us. If we have something special to say that people resonate with, it'll take us where the universe wants to take us. If not, we can at least tell our kids someday that we were one hit wonders in the worst year in recorded history.
[UNPUBLISHED:] You probably didn't anticipate blowing up like this. Do you guys have any other obligations that you were planning on doing?
[AVENUE BEAT:] Pre-COVID, we were getting ready to go on tour with like Rascal Flatts and open for them and a couple other people.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have dream people that you would want to like headline with for a festival?
[AVENUE BEAT:] Harry Styles, I want us to have to be on this level dress wise, I want to dress like that. Anybody else who would have us. We're just happy to be here.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any advice for any young female artists who want to start a girl band?
[AVENUE BEAT:] Authenticity is key. People can tell if you're being fake, don't be fake. Always be honest if something bugs you, even if it's little. Actually learning how to communicate with your bandmates is the most important thing because if you fight, that's good. That's how you have to learn to be constructive.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you guys ever run into hiccups and how you guys get over them and make sure your friendship still stays strong?
[AVENUE BEAT:] Oh, we take it to the parking lot of Taco Bell.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is next for you guys?
[AVENUE BEAT:] We want to put out a ton of songs that we're sitting on and itching to put out into the world so hopefully we'll just be able to throw something out there.
