At just 18 years old, singer-songwriter Ava Rivello is carving out a sanctuary for listeners by turning her most personal struggles into powerful, raw art. Following her hit “(it was) never love,” Rivello returns with her most intimate release to date, “Closer to Dead.” Confronting themes of depression, self-harm, and severe isolation, the track pairs unflinching lyrics with dynamic pop-rock arrangements, serving as both an honest snapshot of internal turmoil and a delicate plea for hope.

In this exclusive interview with Music Times UK, Rivello opens up about the courage it takes to share such deep vulnerability, how writing serves as her primary emotional outlet, setting healthy personal boundaries, and how “Closer to Dead” sets the stage for her highly anticipated debut EP.

We are thrilled to welcome Ava Rivello to Music Times UK to share the story behind her most personal music yet.

  1. Your upcoming single “Closer to Dead” captures the immediate, overwhelming experience of feeling stuck inside your own head during a difficult time, rather than reflecting on it from a safe distance. What gave you the courage to share such intense vulnerability with your audience?

I think writing it was actually easier than deciding to let people hear it. When I wrote closer to dead, I wasn’t trying to make what I was feeling sound pretty or even necessarily make sense to anyone else. I was just putting into words what was happening in my head at the time. Releasing it is different because now I’m letting people into a part of my life that was really dark and personal. There are lyrics about depression, self-harm and feeling like I didn’t want to be here anymore, and those aren’t easy things to put out into the world. But I also know how isolating it can feel when you’re going through that. If being honest about what I experienced makes even one person feel less alone or more understood, then being vulnerable is worth it to me.

  1. In your own words, “Closer to Dead” serves as a delicate plea for help and a message that feelings aren’t permanent. What do you hope listeners who are currently struggling in dark places take away when they hear this track?

I hope they hear it and realize that somebody else has had those thoughts too. When you’re in that kind of place, it can feel like whatever you’re feeling at that moment is never going to end. I know because I’ve felt that way. There’s a line in the song, “Help me find a way to change,” and I think that’s one of the most important parts of it. Even when everything else in the song is really dark, there’s still this small part of me asking for help and wanting something to change. I’m still here now, and I hope someone struggling can hear the song and understand that how they feel right now doesn’t have to be how they feel forever.

Credit: Teen Vibes Collective
  1. Your catalog explicitly tackles topics like mental health, toxic relationships, and self-discovery to create a sanctuary for fans. How has writing music helped you process your own journey through these spaces?

I’ve always found it easier to put certain things into a song than to explain them in a conversation. Sometimes I don’t completely understand how I feel until I start playing guitar and writing about it. I also don’t sit down and decide that I’m going to write a song about mental health or a toxic relationship. Usually something is bothering me or I’m feeling something really strongly, and that’s what comes out. Writing gives me somewhere to put those emotions instead of keeping everything in my head. Sometimes I understand what I went through differently once I hear it back as a song.

  1. At 18 years old, you are balancing a rapidly growing career while staying deeply open and transparent with your audience. How do you protect your own mental wellbeing while writing and performing such deeply personal material?

I’m still learning how to do that. I don’t think I have some perfect system for separating myself from what I write because the songs are personal to me.  One thing I have learned is that I don’t owe everyone access to every part of my life just because I’m honest in my music. I can write something incredibly personal and still have boundaries around what I choose to talk about outside of the song. I also have people around me who know me as Ava, not just as an artist, and having that separation is really important.

  1. “Closer to Dead” directly confronts themes of depression, self-harm, and the desire to feel heard or numb. How do you approach turning such heavy internal dialogues into structured, compelling pop-rock songwriting?

I usually start with the emotion before I think about structure. A lot of the time I’ll sit with my guitar and play until I find something that sounds the way I’m feeling. Then the melody and lyrics start developing from there.  With closer to dead, I didn’t want the production or structure to make the lyrics feel less uncomfortable than they were supposed to be. There are very direct lines in the song because those were direct thoughts. At the same time, I still wanted it to be a song people could connect with musically. I love the contrast between vulnerable lyrics and bigger guitars and drums. Sometimes making the music bigger actually makes the emotion hit harder.

Credit: Teen Vibes Collective
  1. Looking back at the progression from “(it was) never love” to “Closer to Dead,” how do you feel your perspective on emotional healing and self-expression has grown?

I think I’ve become less afraid of saying exactly what I mean.  (it was) never love came from looking at a relationship and realizing that something I thought was love really wasn’t. closer to dead goes somewhere much more internal. Instead of trying to understand another person or a relationship, I’m confronting things about myself and what was happening inside my own head.  I don’t think healing is this straight line where you eventually figure everything out and you’re done. For me, it’s more about being able to look at things I went through honestly without letting them define who I am forever. My writing has become more honest as I’ve gotten more comfortable doing that.

  1. Beyond the music itself, how do you see your role as an artist in destigmatizing mental health conversations for a younger generation?

I don’t think of myself as someone who has all the answers, because I definitely don’t. I can only be honest about my own experiences.  There’s so much pressure, especially with social media, to make it look like everything is great all the time. When you’re struggling and constantly seeing everybody else’s perfect version of their life, it can make you feel like you’re the only person who isn’t okay.  If I’m willing to talk honestly about things I’ve gone through, maybe someone else feels a little less embarrassed or ashamed about what they’re going through. I think just being able to say, “I’ve felt this too,” can be powerful.

  1. With your debut EP on the horizon, how does “Closer to Dead” set the narrative tone for the story you want to tell across the full record?

The songs on the EP come from different experiences, but they’re all really honest versions of where I was when I wrote them. There are relationships, heartbreak, realizing something isn’t healthy for you, wanting to hold onto someone even when you know you shouldn’t, and then closer to dead, which is much more about my relationship with myself and my mental health.  I don’t think the EP tells one perfect story from beginning to end, because my life didn’t happen that way. It’s more like four different snapshots of things I’ve gone through and who I was at those moments. closer to dead is probably the most vulnerable of those snapshots, and I think it shows people a side of me they haven’t completely heard yet.

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