Name: Sarina Giffhorn aka Ava Vegas
Nationality: German
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Ava Vegas's Desert Songs is out via Songs by Night.

If you enjoyed this Ava Vegas interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her official website. She is also on Instagram, and Facebook.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

In my songs, I manifest the reality I want to exist in. Like a doll house where I can design everything, including what it feels like.

Sometimes, it's the other way around, and I'm stuck with a looping thought that I need to get out of my head. Something that someone said or didn't say, something I'm upset about, or a revelation.

I use that one line and articulate a whole scene out of it.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I always have a feeling for a song, like a particular light or scent, something very subjective.

The song goes through many cycles and changes, but the feeling ideally stays the same.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

I usually have a scene for an album set in my head, and the songs all take place there. Then, there are early versions that grow into the final version over the course of a year or so.

Regarding the tools, it's always different. I wrote my favorite songs on a portable kid's keyboard, a pencil and paper. That felt so random that it actually put pressure on me for the following songs. I was scared I'd never get to that place again.

So I started thinking I needed really good equipment to start in a perfect setup - and ended up in front of this huge home studio setup, staring at a blank Logic or Ableton project. It's a bit of a trap when you start producing before the songwriting. First, you fall in love with the sound, but then it's not going anywhere, and you start doubting everything.

So my new thing is to sit on a bench somewhere and just write down my thoughts. Or I go through the Omnisphere plugin, collect all the sounds I find interesting, and then limit myself to them in the production. Or I sit at the piano, playing chords and humming a melody.

I really break down the songwriting/production process into easy fragments that don't overwhelm me and that are enjoyable in their simplicity.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating?

I need to be in a somewhat good mood and have time and it also helps to not have been sitting in front of the computer or my phone for hours before. Office work or social media always make my head foggy and limit my thinking; I turn into a very uncreative robot.

So, having been outside or in the morning or later at night are good times and situations.

What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

All of them and none of them. In the end, it's all pure chance and timing.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

The first 10 % are always easier than the last 10 %; I'm really bad at finishing things, probably because I'm scared of committing to something while excluding potentials and possibilities.

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

I usually have a first verse that describes where I'm coming from in the song. Everything after that comes from singing some gibberish over the melody, and if I mumble enough, it sounds like words.

Knowing what the song is about, more or less, they get injected with meaning or new directions and form into lines and lyrics.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

I like catchy lyrics that get stuck in my head. I appreciate simple language that combines words in an unexpected way and thus creates pictures and meaning in your head, subtle humor doesn't hurt either.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

I'm mostly in love with a first demo that was easy to come up with and then try to elevate the production.

Which is when the ups and downs begin until the production sounds like the potential I heard in the first demo.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I like to stay in control, but chance, discovering sounds, and accidentally finding unexpected elements is what creating music is about to me.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

I'm always happy about new ideas and killing your darlings.

I often put the old darlings somewhere else, thinking I'd make a new song with them - and usually, they were never seen nor heard again.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

Once you enter this euphoric, spiritual state and things start to flow, it becomes a bit like tidying up your place. You know where everything goes, so it's easy and gratifying. You feel comfortable, safe, and optimistic.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

I work on it as long as it takes, trying to make something that's a little better than what I think I'm capable of.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

I usually let it lie for many rounds before it's finished. Usually, it takes 1-2 years of forgetting about and revisiting it. Sometimes, I re-record instruments or vocals and layer them over the finished mix.

But once it's really-really finished, there are detail improvements, maybe 5-10 over a week of listening to the song on different speakers and in various internal states.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

It's almost as important as the song itself. The production allows you to express Zeitgeist and a meta layer of context. The mix is the feel of a song, too many highs or a snare that's too dry can kill the whole vibe for me.

I think the quality of the master is more forgiving when the actual song is great, but it still matters a lot to me. I have reference playlists for each song just for the feel of the master.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

I usually have an idea of the next album while I'm still working on the one before or even the one before that, so I look forward to when the album I'm working on is done and the pressure lifts off my shoulders.

As mentioned earlier - I love starting something more than finishing it. But when it's finished, you're free, and that's a new beginning, so I love a good ending.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Everything around us can alter our state of mind, move us, or spark a certain feeling within ourselves. Music is a great medium to conserve this certain mood or feeling.

What's special about creating music is that you can design a feeling so precisely and on so many layers. It's like creating a memory and implanting it into other people's brains.

Ok, that sounds creepy. :)