 As I'm singing, I think I'm just feeling relieved. I can just sit with lyrics and the sound and feel however I feel. When it comes to songwriting, that's where I open up into the deepest parts of myself. I can really let go and then it inspires other people to let go also. You can make people laugh or you can make people cry. So I think that is kind of like my niche is like feeling the feelings. My heartbreak for people who aren't even. Well, my name is Averyanna. I grew up in a small town. Like I used to sing the national anthem at volleyball games and basketball games and they'd always be like, oh, she's gonna be famous one day and just joke about it. And then it happened. Back when COVID hit in 2020, I wasn't at school or at practice for sports and I'd get really bored. And at that point, because I was so isolated, I had time to do music and write my own songs and sing and I had time to really just like live in my own creative space. And I would just go into my mom's bathroom and sit in her big cloth at bathtub. It's pretty fabulous. And the acoustic's really good in there. So I would sing in there all the time. And then one day I mustered up the courage to post a TikTok. And overnight it had like eight million views. And so that little taste of fame for a second, like it made me super power hungry. And I was like, oh my gosh, like that is so cool. And so I kept it a secret from my mom for like three days because I didn't want her to like take TikTok away from me or something. And then she found out and she was like, Avery, those aren't real people. And it turns out they were real people. And posting on TikTok was kind of my way to like connect. And it really created this kind of like safe space on my TikTok, where people could just like feel sad, listening to a sad song or feel mad or happier, connected with like God and stuff. But now, since signing my deal and moving from Arizona to Nashville and being able to record my own songs is like the coolest thing in the world to me because that like safe space that I go to in the music that I love, but I can't create that like space for other people. I had always dreamed of like doing this as my career, but I never thought that it was actually gonna happen. You know, I, this is what I'm doing now. So New York because I had my first morning show TV appearance on the Today Show. It was really, really fun. Growing up, my grandma always had the morning show on and she'd always have TV on in the morning. So it was kind of bizarre to like be there in real life. Today show, little bit freaking out, but it's crazy. This is my second time in New York. And it's definitely a lot different than what I'm used to, but I really like it here. I like the energy and everyone feels driven and it's kind of inspiring. I think to live in a city like this, you gotta be built different. And I think that I'm built for the small town. I love nature. I love being outside. I feel like I connect mostly like with God and with myself when I'm outside. I remember like I would drive my car out into the woods and sit in the back of my car and bring my guitar and just sing and write songs. And it's beautiful. And I'll always go back to that. I don't think that there was ever a point in time where I decided that music was my thing. I think it was always just something that I always loved. It's something that's kept me sane, I guess. Like when I was in middle school, I would wake up at 5 a.m. so that I could sing before I went to school. Writing songs in the middle of the night and waking up my siblings with the piano in the mornings and them yelling at me, you know. All the songs that I write just kind of come straight out of my journal. I've journaled since I was like eight years old. Some of this is like prayers, some of it's poem. I just kind of see what I've been writing and feeling recently. And then I try and make melodies out of the words. Sometimes when you write a song, it's melodies first, but usually for me it's words first. I really started out singing with my grandpa and we would always sing for people at like family gatherings. And we would sing Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash and Patsy Klein and Marl Haggard. I love all music, but that's where my true love for music really starts as old country and that's where my roots are and that's where I come from. Old country music is very, very honest and it's storytelling and I think that that's what I love to do is tell stories and just be honest. Her name is Avery Anna and the song is called Narcissist and let me tell you something. This song, whoo! Listen to the lyrics. I detach from my feelings I can't help it if I'm happy or sad Today I cried for no reason Made me feel like a psycho When I wrote my song Narcissist I felt light after it like a burden had been lifted off of me and then when I released it I was like scared to death because I felt like I was so alone in the situation. This person that I loved so much I don't think they just knew how to love me the right way and they had all these tendencies like kind of controlling and it was a really hard situation for me. I should hate you cause I love you And you should hate yourself for treating me like that We both know you only love me Writing that song was kind of just Did you know they haven't named for you? my way of processing the whole relationship You say that I'm crazy You say that you're sorry It won't happen again You say I'm dramatic I won't react again Oh my gosh, it's literally on the ring. I guess I didn't really even understand the situation until I wrote the song. So many people related to it in comments on YouTube and TikTok and Instagram of people's stories and that really really hit me. I remember reading through YouTube comments and just bawling my eyes out. As it's been released and I've seen like the impact on other people continues to like hit me. The sound of country music is always changing. I think it's always growing. I'm just really excited to bring my own story into it. I went from Arizona to Nashville and it was a huge culture shock. And I love Nashville. But it was really cool to see how many people just love music, especially country music. I felt kind of a sense of belonging like I was meant to be there. She's making her Grand Ole Opry debut when you give a warm welcome to Avery Anna, ladies and gentlemen. And I'll say the Grand Ole Opry definitely was a pinch me moment, especially loving older country and... Oh my gosh. Been watching the Opry on YouTube. This is like... In math class. This is going to be so cool. If I died tomorrow, I would have lived a good life because I got to play the Grand Ole Opry. It was a really big moment for me and my family, especially me and my grandpa. He was able to go. I think he cried. I've never seen him cry in my life. That's how you know it's something either really happy or really really sad if you can make a grown man just cry. I don't know, my whole family was there. And they were all just really happy. It was one of those moments where you go to bed and you're like, I don't want to do the next day. I just want to relive this day over and over again. You're doing amazing. Have a great day. It's one thing going from views and comments and likes through social media and then playing a live show. Every time I play a show, it kind of hits me. Just about a week ago, I had my first headlining show. It was like a hundred something people, but they all came for me. I played all my songs and they knew every single word and they weren't just singing it. They were screaming it. And after the show, I was on the biggest high. I was on cloud nine because it was the least alone I think I've ever felt in my whole life.