Adventures with Ava

City Music Scene

- ROB FIDDAMAN

this week chats to city-born musician and actor Ava Ralph about working with her brother, her hopes for this year and her forthcoming unusual house move...

Hi Ava, thanks for chatting to me. Where you are from originally?

I'm from Stoke-on-Trent, I moved to London when I was 18 and studied at Rose Bruford, but since graduating have worked in Stoke on a few different acting jobs and always love gigging in my home city!

Your Insta bio states 'soon to be sailing'. Are you a keen adventurer?

Yes I would say I like an adventure, I am 'soon to be sailing' because I'm revamping a canal boat to move onto! It is moored in Stoke-on-Trent, I'm so excited to move back here and newly explore the freedom of living on the waterways!

I see you are also an actress. What comes first, music or acting?

To be honest, it varies depending on what I'm working on. If I'm in a show, acting usually takes up most of my focus and energy (but I like to book a few music gigs in on the days that I'm not rehearsing or performing, which is always a nice way to share my energy across both). At the moment I would say I'm more focused on my music, but the nice thing about this career path is you never know what opportunity is going to present itself next. Anything can come round the corner at any point, which is one of the reasons why I love it!

Did any particular artists influence you while growing up?

I listened to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse, which I would say influenced my jazz styles (particularly in singing) - but I also was massively influenced by Stevie Wonder, which definitely introduced me to the world of funk and soul. Also, listening to Bob Dylan and Laura Marling definitely ignited my love for folk, and with that, artists like Paolo Nutini, whose use of folk and funk and soul together within songs was a massive inspiration.