Meet Au/Ra – the gifted singer-songwriter, who grew up between Ibiza and Antigua, has been making music ever since she was young. The release of her song “Panic Room,” which she released when she was only 16 years old, became an instant radio sensation and put her on the map to a wider audience. Ever since, she put out a string of successful singles and EPs for her ever-growing fanbase and has collaborations with the likes of Alan Walker, Jax Jones, and Alok under her belt. In addition to her musical endeavors, she has created a large community on the gaming platforms Discord and Twitch where she engages with her fans, the so-called Green Beans, on a regular basis.
Only recently, she has dropped her brand new single, “Highs and Lows” alongside ATB and York, a captivating track oozing with ethereal pianos, melodic bass, and Au/Ra’s gorgeous vocals. As she continues to grow and evolve as an artist, it is clear that she has a bright future ahead of her – Still only 20 years old, she is poised to become a leading force in the realms of alternative pop, and has recently become an independent artist, she is only just getting started.
EUPHORIA. caught up with her and spoke about all things music, gaming, and what we can expect from her for the remainder of the year.
You’ve been making music for a while now and have had a pretty eventful journey. Can you tell us about a particularly memorable moment in your music career so far?
One of the most memorable moments in my career so far has been doing my first headline tour. I think when you get to a point where you can do that in the first place, you just feel this rush and it’s like “oh my gosh, there are actually people who will spend money to come and see me play my songs!” That whole thought blew my mind a bit and I was just so grateful I had that experience right before covid. It was crazy and wonderful.
Your break-out hit “Panic Room” was also released when you were only 16, how would you say your personal growth and overall experiences since then have shaped you into the artist that you are today?
Honestly, the music industry is very difficult because as an artist and writer, you’re typically this very emotional, in-touch-with-your-feelings kind of person. You’re able to be vulnerable and write about your emotions because of that – but you also have to be tough enough to make business decisions and nobody really trains you to do that. You kind of have to learn along the way and I think that part of it is something that I’ve definitely grown into in the past 2 years. It was always something I hated to be honest, and I used to wish I could always only focus on the creative side and not worry about anything else, but the business part does play into it and that was something as a young artist, I had to figure out.
How has your upbringing in Ibiza and Antigua contributed to your musical style and identity?
Growing up on islands gives you a very specific point of view. I don’t really know how to explain it, but things can go wrong very easily with the weather, hurricanes, power outages, and droughts… having these kinds of things be normal in my childhood made me able to roll with the punches and have an open mindset, and have a sense of gratitude for simple things.
Let’s speak about your new single “Highs and Lows”. What can you tell us about the creative process behind the single?
“Highs and Lows” was a really fun one to make! ATB and my dad had been friends for a long time, and he sent my dad the track while I was home for the holidays. I heard it, loved it, and so my dad and I worked on it together. The song just flowed out of me very easily – I finished writing it within the hour haha. It’s very lighthearted, and you can really feel that in the song.
I noticed that you’re also quite active on Discord and Twitch. Do you utilize those gaming networks for your music promotion at all, and if so, how?
I absolutely love interacting with my community there! It’s called Greenbeania and its members call themselves green beans hehe, it’s so so wholesome. It’s more natural because I go there to hang with them and I’ll mention what’s going on, nothing too crazy. But I have used discord to tease new music, so it’s a good place to go if you’re looking for exclusive content and sneak peeks.
I know you spend a lot of time in London. Are there any UK-based artists on your radar that you’d love to work with?
Some British artists I’d love to work with are Cavetown, Charli XCX… definitely beabadobee, and PinkPantheress. I’m a huge fan of MARINA too, but I think she’s LA-based. and of course, I’m a huge fan of the Arctic Monkeys, that’s my dream one haha.
What else have you got planned for this year? Anything you can unveil?
Nothing I can give away quite yet! But safe to say I’ve been in the studio, exploring and working on a lot of music I’m excited to share some time.