We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ava Paige a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ava, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
I started music professionally when I was 10 years old and absolutely fell in love with all things writing and performing. I worked hard to hone in on my sound and get better at co-writing. By the end of 2018- beginning of 2019, I was performing around 150+ shows a year all across the U.S, writing twice a day 5 days a week, and was getting industry looks. Then on July 1st, 2019, my life changed forever when I was diagnosed with cancer. It was an extremely sudden diagnosis and I actually just got back from Texas the night before. My mom, being a retired nurse, knew something wasn’t quite right, so when we got home, I went straight to my pediatrician who ran my blood work. She said it didn’t look good, but to double check, we should go over to our local hospital (Vanderbilt Children’s.) When we got there, they ran my blood work again and when 3 doctors walked in and closed the door, we knew it wasn’t good. They told me I had leukemia and had to start chemo immediately. I had to cancel over 70 events in July alone and was stuck in a hospital room for a month and a half straight. It was a hard journey, but I was so blessed to have an amazing support team around me that were always there to share stories and sing songs. I didnt let my diagnosis stop me and kept writng and preforming out as much as I could. My parents always told me to find your charity/passion in life, and well, my passion picked me! Ive been very fortunate to work with some incredible charity organizations and share my story to help bring awareness to childhood cancer. I even started my own chartiy organization called “Picking and Kicking Cancer” to help other teens fighting cancer. Right now Im 9 months cancer free and am traveling all over the world sharing my songs and story.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Here is my Bio!
At just 18 years old, Ava Paige is simply not your average up-and-coming young hopeful. She is an entire world apart**
Writing songs since she was small and playing guitar since 7, she is decidedly unique from other teenagers. Her idols have always been the creators of songs and she has never wavered in her desire to be one of them. An innate understanding of lifetimes past with her naturally young perspective has proven beneficial in her delivery of any song. A marvel at conveying the emotion necessary to allow audiences to truly feel the lyrics. She has played iconic venues such as The Listening Room, 3rd and Lindsay, and The Bluebird Cafe, and is a frequent participant in songwriter shows around town that include hitmakers. She has written with some of Nashville’s top writers (Marla Cannon, Kendal Marvel, Drake White, Craig Campbell, Emily Shackelton, and Barrett Baber) and has had over 30 independent cuts. Ava also got her first major cut on Drake White’s “The Optimystic” album (Can’t have my Dog”)
With her music career traveling in the fast lane, Paige was delivered a blow just before her 15th birthday. She was diagnosed with leukemia. Gigs and songwriting were put on hold and replaced with chemotherapy treatments. That didn’t stop her from making music, however, and she found herself with a new passion, helping kids with cancer. Ava is excited to announce she just finished all treatments for leukemia on Dec 13th 2021. Paige is determined to pay it forward by forming her own charity, Pick’n and Kick’n Cancer With Ava, which helps other teens with cancer. She’s also involved with a number of other similar charities including Children’s Miracle Network and Rally Foundation.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being an artist for me is connecting with people. Music has a way of touching a wide variety of people, and anyone from any walk of life can enjoy it. There is a song for every emotion and every story. Even if you write a super specific story about your life, someone can take it and relate. The fact that a song I wrote could help someone through a problem or make them feel something is absolutely incredible.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I was diagnosed with cancer, I certainly had to pivot! I had to cancel events and adjust my schedule to fit chemo treatments and hospital stays. I got back on my feet and became a stronger musician and person because of it. It also opened my eyes to my passion; helping raise awareness and funds for cancer kids and research. My parents always told me to find my charity, and well, my charity picked me! It was a hard journey, but I wouldn’t change a thing!
Contact Info:
- Website: avapaigemusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avapaigemusic/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Avapaigemusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AvaPaigeMusic?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb6iDF6Y3GkiLY6v7AlKCyw
- Other: Tik tok- https://www.tiktok.com/@avapaigemusic