adv is the new kid on the block for queer pop in Auckland. His first EP, Trust Issues, was released on Feb 2nd and was celebrated by a release party a few weeks ago. I headed along and had an absolute blast. His music is fun and real, and it translated so well live. Supported by Noah Page and Luca Garcia Ferrari, adv seriously captured the crowd and put on an incredible show. I was lucky enough to ask him a few questions about the EP and his journey.
What was the journey like for Trust Issues? Were there any inspirations or moments which started it all?
Trust Issues was an accident. It started when I finished film school and wanted to make a music video as a reel to get work in the film industry. I thought it would be cool to record a song and work with my friends to turn it into something. I met Noah Page and we recorded BubbleBath. I knew the song was a banger, and out of this experience, the rest of Trust Issues exploded out of my head. When I went back to Noah for another session, I had written the rest of the album, and then it took the confidence to commit to something which had suddenly grown in scale. I was very lucky to have friends who were eager to help out on this journey and were on board with my crazy idea to make an audiovisual album. We just kept growing the team and expanding the work, and now it’s finally finished and ready to be shared with the world.
Do you have any inspirations at the moment?
My go-to inspo is always Bjork. She proper changed my life and I was lucky enough to go and see her play in Perth last year. Dreams really do come true! For this album though, the inspo was quite niche – Rainy Miller, Leo Bhanji, Harvey Causon, Greentea Peng and Matt Corby.
What has been the coolest experience while working on the album?
Working with Noah has been the best part of this entire experience. Honestly, we became such good friends over the course of this work, and I feel like he held me very gently all the way through. I couldn’t ask for a better friend and collaborator.
Do you feel like queer pop is setting the standard at the moment in the music scene?
Tricky question. Everyone has different standards. I wouldn’t say I set the standard for anything – I’m just here to vibe and have a good time telling these very human stories. It’s important to note however that queer artists are still very much at the fringes of this industry despite sometimes appearing to be ubiquitous, particularly queer artists who are out before becoming famous. Every queer artist you know who is internationally successful probably came out publicly after they made their hits, and we still have to reckon with this. So while I would love to say yes, we still have very few examples of queer artists who top the charts and are also able to truly be themselves from the outset of their career, and the general pop music landscape suffers as a result.
Trust Issues is available to stream and download now on Apple Music and Spotify. You can check out adv on YouTube and see the new Do It Over music video, directed by Chye-Ling Huang. The full Trust Issues film will be released on the 14th of March, but in the meantime, you can also listen to “A kōrero w/ adv: February 19, 2024” from our friends at 95bfm and check him out on Instagram: @advkillinit