Welcome back to On Beat, a look into Belmont artists, their styles and what’s going down in music town.
Avery Calvert is a 20-year-old Belmont student whose creative style falls in line with folk, pop and authentic writing.
Performing at live events in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, since he was just 10 years old, Calvert prides himself on his unique style and ability to be true to himself.
How would you sum up your time at Belmont and your time in Nashville?
Avery: “Coming to Nashville was really interesting for me because I grew up in the Deep South where there's not as much groundwork for going into the arts. There wasn't really a path laid out for me for what I needed to do once I graduated high school. I knew I wanted to go into music, and Belmont seemed like the place to be for what I wanted to do. I really have enjoyed my time here because I get to be around people who love the same things I love and who have the same goals. It's just gratifying to be understood in that way.”
Everyone seems to have their own way of creating, especially when there are many ways to make things. What is your creative process?
Avery: “That's an area where maybe I'm a little different. I think something I really lack as an artist is a true creative process. I've written songs in a day, and I've written songs over the course of three months. I don't think I really have a set-in-stone creative process.”
You stated previously that you believe your hometown made it difficult to see a future in music. Can you speak more about how that has affected your development as an artist?
Avery: “I'm very out of touch with the industry because there is no industry where I live in Jackson, Mississippi. Networking and finding work and things like that are things that I'm still learning on the go, but I've enjoyed having Belmont as a safe space to learn those things before I'm truly thrown out to the world on my own.”
It seems that now and especially here in music city there is a lot of competition to stand out. What makes you stand out as an artist?
Avery: “Well, I'm trying to make folk music work in 2024. Of course, I use the term folk lightly, the definition of folk has been construed over the years. I would consider my music pop-folk because I think my lyricism is more pop but the music itself is folk inspired. I'm writing music that is very modern and very real to what we are experiencing. I write about what it means to be a person, and I think many people are trying to reinvent the wheel with songwriting in many ways. I would prefer to take things back to when they were simpler.”
“I love the way that love songs were written back before we had to think of new ways to write love songs. I love the way that breakup songs were written before it just all had to be about anger and angst. I write music because I want people to be able to experience whatever emotions they're already feeling to their fullest extent so that they can move on having experienced that. That's what music was for me when I was growing up and still today. I want to offer that to other people because I think I have the ability to create that.”
What are you doing right now, and how can people support?
Avery: “Right now, I'm just trying to work on building up an Internet presence. I'm working on refining my social media, which is difficult for me because it is not an area where I am well versed. I released my first single, ‘Lay On the Floor,’ back in December, and I am working on releasing my second single soon. The single is called ‘January,’ and I'm excited about it. I think it is going to be something that people really enjoy.”
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This article was written by J O'Boyle
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