Check Out Avalon Durand’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Avalon Durand.

Hi Avalon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Since I was young, music has always been apart of my life. My parents were constantly playing music no matter where we were. My mom said that music was able to greatly impact her life, and said that she wanted the same for me. So, she enrolled me in piano and voice lessons at the age of 6. It wasn’t until I was 10 years old and picked up my first ukulele when I started to realize that music would be my favorite thing ever. This is when my song writing journey began. Over covid, I practiced a lot. My parents eventually bought me a cheap knockoff Squire electric guitar, and there was no looking back. I joined School Of Rock and met many close friends there, and even co-founded a band outside of the institution called Ominous Duck. In my time with them, I was the main songwriter. This rock band was a fantastic way to broaden my songwriting capabilities. Ominous Duck was my main thing for a while, playing gigs frequently, until I discovered folk music. I listened to a lot of Adrianne Lenker, Kevin Atwater, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Sufjian Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, the list goes on. I put down the electric guitar, pausing my dreams on becoming a shred guitar player, and picked up my acoustic to start writing songs that I would set my sights on publishing.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I can’t say my journey has been a completely smooth road, but it hasn’t been super rocky either. I have the normal struggles of feeling burnt out on my instrument, and feeling stuck. These ruts can last for months, and are super frustrating and demotivating, but I always find a way to push through. Thankfully, I have wonderful family and friends who are always supportive of my music. I think right now, as a junior in highschool, my biggest obstacle is what I want to do for college. I know I want to pursue music, but Im not sure if I should go with the songwriting route or the production route.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a singer/songwritter from LA! My stage name is avamo, but I go by Avalon. As of now, I’m focusing on writing my own music. I compose all of my own guitar parts, as well as write my own lyrics. I’m also trying to improve on production as well! I guess what I’m known for is making people cry, which sounds terrible. My mom is one of my biggest supporters and plays my music for almost everyone she meets, and I guess people are really touched by it, which is beautiful. I’m most proud of myself for being brave enough to share my own work with the world. it can be very scary publishing something that has come from the depths of your heart, and sharing it to everyone. Something that sets me apart from others is that at my young age of 16, I’ve played over 70 shows! Thats a pretty big accomplishment.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something that surprises people is that I’m bilingual and a French citizen! I was tested for fluency at the age of 5, and I like to say that my first language is French because my first word was in French. Growing up, my dad would strictly speak French to me, as it is his native language. I was enrolled in a multilingual school from K-5th grade. I have family in France, and we try to visit them often!One of my songs, which I wrote for my best friend, even includes French as a play on her name, Claire. In French, clair (without the “e”) means “clear,” so I sing “C’est Claire que je t’adore,” which could mean both “Its Claire that I love” and “It’s clear that I love you.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://avamo.carrd.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avamomusik/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@avamo.musik.official
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@avamomusik