Avestra consists of Zach Troupe and Savannah Johnston and has a sound so unique the only thing I think of to compare them to is the word unique itself. Mixing and mashing their styles together, Avestra is doing it their way. Nobody is going to be able to force them into becoming something they’re not.
These are two of the most talented and creative artists that I have encountered and it was a pleasure to talk to and get to know them. They’re as down to earth as can be and create an environment of fun and inclusive friendliness. Avestra has big plans and goals and I can’t see anything stopping them as they ascend and evolve into the stars they are meant to be.
Their newest dual EP Lunar and Solar drops May 24th and a release party will be held May 31st featuring 20 local art vendors! Be sure to check their socials and website for updates on the release party as well as more new music in the future.
Exclusive Avestra Interview
*This interview was edited for clarity*
RMR: Tell us a little about you guys, when did you two meet?
Savannah: We actually met three years ago while I was roommates with a close friend of Zach’s, and it didn’t start out as “oh we gotta make music together” but instead kind of naturally came together.
Zach: Yeah and it’s crazy because we actually have two pretty different styles. So, it’s almost surprising that we did end up becoming a duo. But, as Savannah said, the more we got to know each other it just came and it’s been so much fun.
RMR: What got you into creating music?
Zach: So I started out more recently by downloading the free software GarageBand. I had gone to school and was learning audio engineering but found out that wasn’t for me, knowing I didn’t want to just have someone telling me what to do I really liked the creativity of making my own music and it’s just grown from there.
Savannah: So it’s actually like the complete opposite story from Zach’s whereas I have been obsessed with music and music making since I was like five. I started out being classically trained in piano when I was five and by the time I got to high school, I got really into jazz and started messing around in DAWs. But it only just now actually feels like I’m making music that I’m proud of.
RMR: Did you always want to make electronic dance music or was there another genre that was more of a first love?
Zach: I think from the beginning we kind of struggled to put ourselves into one thing because the very next day was always so different from what we were doing the day before. So, we don’t really want to contain ourselves that way. I think we’ve decided that we just don’t say a single genre, but it makes it really hard submitting sometimes.
Savannah: Initially, when we first met, what made it interesting to work together was those differences in how we came up. So it was what he intended at the time to make and what I intended at the time to make. Sitting down and working together on one song was honestly silly. With each of us adding our own elements of different genres but the Venn diagram is getting larger and larger and we’ve been able to mesh our sounds and come really close together.
RMR: How has your personal music taste helped you evolve as artists?
Zach: I think it’s almost different in the sense that as I worked more and more on music my taste changed and evolved. I listen to a lot more stuff now compared to when I first started. I only really listened to rap and only saw myself making raps and now I’m in a duo with a female singer and it’s funny how it worked out, but it’s perfect.
Savannah: We listen to a lot of experimental stuff together now, especially when looking for inspiration. Zach will bring me something and it wouldn’t be something I’d necessarily listen to on my own. I’ll sit down and listen and actually end up enjoying the song and it makes us more open-minded which is cool. Fucked up my Discover Weekly Playlist completely, but worth it.
RMR: Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
Zach: I think some major ones for are me are Monte Booker, Kaytranada, Smino, just a lot of people who think outside the box.
Savannah: We take influences vocally and melodically sometimes from very different places compared to what we are doing from the production side. So, like Ravyn Lenae, and Amine are other big influences for us.
RMR: What do you attribute to your success so far?
Zach: Just being so thankful that we met each other and it happened because it really doesn’t feel like we have had to work as hard as we have. Making the music itself is easy. It’s the planning the events and stuff like that, but we got a manager fairly early on who’s made it all ten times easier than it could have been.
Savannah: Also the fact that we trust each other so well and have an understanding. We aren’t afraid to make mistakes in front of each other and do crazy weird ideas, which really makes the songwriting process fluid and I think that really comes through in the music.
RMR: You have two amazing albums with Niche and Bloom, which album do you feel you grew the most on as an artist during the creation process?
Zach: Probably the one that’s coming out next, to be honest.
Savannah: Both of the other albums were good processes to have where we were figuring it out and helped get us to where we are now but I feel we have finally settled where we want to be sound wise in the one coming later this month.
RMR: Using your platform as an artist what would you like to accomplish outside of music?
Zach: Grammy, shoot big right? In high school, I made a deal with my dad that if I ever won a Grammy, he’d have to get a tattoo of a one, so I’ve been thinking about that ever since
Savannah: We’ve talked about this actually. We are interested in bringing together other creatives that aren’t just specifically Seattle, which part is the reason why we are doing these release shows. To showcase other people and create a real community where you support by not just following each other on Instagram but meeting them, hanging out, getting dinner and just pulling everyone together more.
Zach: Yeah, we just want to bring Seattle together and turn Seattle into the hub that it could be. We want to get to where we want to be and then find a way to make it easier for the next person.
RMR: What about one big goal you’d like to accomplish in music?
Savannah: Just for that I want that to happen
RMR: If you could collaborate with any artist who would it be?
Savannah: There’s so many but Anderson. Paak, The Internet, anyone from there, I could hear myself working with Ravyn Lenae I would love to work with her.
Zach: I think one of the top ones for me would be GoldLink he just makes vibes; Coltrane is up there as well.
RMR: What was the biggest thing you’ve had to overcome while chasing your dreams as musical artists?
Zach: For me, it was dropping out of school.
Savannah: For me it was everything that comes outside of the music like the whole business end of everything and how stressful that side of everything is, so we had to learn a lot of things this past year and it’s been like trudging through water at times.
RMR: What’s been a major highlight of your careers so far?
Zach: Every time we make a new song that’s like our favorite one and it’s 1 am we’ve been working on a song and its finally just like, “this is it!” That and our release party because being able to watch people hear it for the first time
Savannah: Yeah, the release party and seeing people sing my lyrics just a few days after the songs came out was amazing. We didn’t we even realize what had just happened till after our after party.
RMR: When you aren’t making music, what do you like to do for fun?
Zach: play video games, just be a normal 20 something-year-old kid sometimes.
Savannah: I like to go to Green lake park sometimes and paint sometimes in the rare moments that I’m not busy.
RMR: If you weren’t making music, what do you think you’d pursue as a career?
Savannah: I actually already know; I would be a mechanical engineer.
Zach: I thought about being a chiropractor but then I saw how long you have to go to school and decided maybe I’ll make music instead.
RMR: Aside from the dual EP, what do you two have in store for the next six months to a year?
Zach: We have a lot planned for 2019 that we are really excited about and don’t want to give too much away but its going to be a really fun year.
Savannah: Yeah, lots of new music and material for sure.
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