Shaelyn Avalon opens up about her move from Los Angeles to Nashville, her evolution into Country Rock, and the personal experiences that continue to influence her music. In this exclusive interview, she reflects on her inspirations, creative process, songwriting, and the new direction she’s taking as both an artist and storyteller.
1. We know Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Madison Beer are big inspirations for you. What have you taken from each of them that you bring into your own music?
Taylor’s songwriting has obviously played a massive role in how I approach my own writing process. I grew up on her music, as well as Selena’s, from a very young age.
What I love about both Taylor and Madison is how they’ve created these vivid, cinematic universes. They tell an ongoing story that you can follow step by step simply by watching their music videos in succession.
Madison had “L.S. Labs,” which ultimately tied into her Life Support album, starting with her “Dear Society” music video. Seeing that completely rewired my brain chemistry regarding music and how I wanted to approach it. It made me realize I wanted to tell an unforgettable visual story of my own.
Selena Gomez was the true catalyst, though. I distinctly remember buying her CD for ‘A Year Without Rain’ at Target when I was about nine years old, and watching the deluxe DVD on my computer over and over again.
Seeing how everything was constructed—from the visual elements of the cover shoot to touring Europe and recording in the studio—made me realize this was a life I wanted to build.
2. You’ve made a shift from Pop to a more Country Rock sound. Is this an experimental phase or a permanent change? Do you see yourself exploring other genres down the road?
I think upon first listen, you’ll hear a diverse blend of the different genres I love. Towards the middle of the album’s production, I was listening to a lot of K-Pop and Hyperpop, so we kept those heavy bass and synth elements woven throughout most of the tracks.
Country didn’t actually come into play until much later, during the final months of recording, but I do believe that’s where I’m heading in the long term. There is such a raw grit in Country music that I’m excited to lean into, alongside a beautiful sisterhood among female Country artists that is truly like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
3. From your perspective, what makes Country Rock Songs unique compared to other musical styles?
The genre blends the energy of the Pop-Rock songs I gravitate towards when I’m going through something difficult with the unapologetic confidence that I wish younger me had. I faced a lot of hardship, especially with my ongoing physical health struggles and being misunderstood during that period of time—it completely shifted my identity and how I present myself to the world.
After my body went through such an upheaval from my ovarian cystectomy, I didn’t have the same amount of energy as my peers, and I became angry at myself. I missed the me that everybody knew before, but she’s not coming back.
Country healed me in a way that allowed me to be honest about my anger, but in keeping with my very feminine nature. I didn’t have to be this wounded, sad girl or this “Instagram baddie” all the time; it was like a total exhale and a complete rebuild from the ground up.
4. Recently, you moved from Los Angeles to Nashville. Do you feel like it was the right call, or is there something you still miss about your life in LA?
I have zero regrets in relocating. The me that moved to LA isn’t who I am now. She was definitely less experienced in the school of life and hadn’t learned how to discern safe spaces to land vs rooms I became a target in.
LA is incredibly brutal while also being a fun backdrop in your twenties. Being raised in a Christian home and put in private school in junior high/homeschooled for half of high school to focus on dance and vocal lessons, I had a lot of catching up to do. Everybody isn’t your best friend, but they’re also not your worst enemy. I’m just grateful for the supportive people.
There were also major factors in my personal life that were entirely out of my control. I dealt with a stalker for the better part of my early and mid-twenties. While other girls my age were out at clubs, I was 23 years old at the LA Courthouse, fighting for a restraining order.
This person left unwanted gifts in my lobby and harassed my exes for information. It was completely out of control. After moving apartments four times in five years, I needed somewhere to finally get back on track.
It’s exhausting to build a public career when, for your own safety, you constantly have to look over your shoulder. Moving to Nashville was choosing to leave on my own terms, and it feels amazing.
5. Since karaoke is one of your favorite hobbies, is there a song you’d actually avoid singing?
I wouldn’t say there’s a single song I completely avoid, but I definitely gravitate toward my favorite genres. You’re probably not going to see me go up there and sing Heavy Metal or anything like that, so I guess that would be on my blacklist!
6. Beyond your music career, you’ve also published books. What pushed you to get into writing, and what can you tell us about them?
Yes! I self-published my first novel, Amorinthis, in the fall of last year. The burning question woven through the story is whether love and fame can truly coexist in a futuristic city heavily loaded with drone cameras.
Everything is livestreamed to a “feed” on a site called Flutter, and the Elite are contractually obligated to date for social capital. The protagonist, Avalon Francis, is a fictional reflection of what living in LA felt like for me. I modeled as a means to fund my music in my late teens and early twenties, and I really struggled to separate my public identity from that world and from the men I was dating.
I felt like nobody took my music seriously, so I needed to change the narrative for myself. If people weren’t willing to accept that there was more to me than meets the eye, I decided they could read about it in my book.
7. A couple of years ago, you told us you were working on your album ‘Redemption.’ Now that it’s finally coming out this spring, what made the process take so long?
After being stalked, my physical health completely spiraled. I spent a lot of time focused on regulating my nervous system. Intense therapy, healing my lymphatic system, and shedding the immense stress weight that resulted from that medical trauma—those things all had to come first.
My natural baseline has always been thin, and so much of my personal identity, comfort, and confidence are tied to feeling like myself in that skin. I’ve never aligned with standard body-positivity narratives because, for me, carrying that extra weight wasn’t a natural state; it was a physical manifestation of trauma.
It was incredibly frustrating to feel this strange pressure from others who wanted me to stay exactly as I was for their own comfort, even though I didn’t recognize my own body. I refused to release ‘Redemption’ until I loved my own reflection in the mirror, especially when the project’s entire message is rooted in confidence and reclaiming your power.
It took me almost five years of navigating extremely low lows to get back to myself. I don’t say that for sympathy, but rather to show that none of this came easily. I fought tooth and nail to get everything I lost back, and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.
8. For this new Country Rock project, have you worked with any new producers or collaborators? What have you taken away from that process?
I have some tracks with Jerry Danielsen, whom I’ve worked with since my early twenties and who has truly seen me grow up. I also have some tracks with Spencer Daniels—no relation, completely unrelated!—who hopped onto this project in the summer of ’24.
During the process, we listened to a lot of Olivia Rodrigo, Jennie from Blackpink, Katseye, and Maggie Lindemann to really hone in on what I wanted my sound to be. There were weeks when I would only listen to two or three songs on heavy rotation. I would become completely obsessed with a specific lyrical choice or a unique production sound, which I would then bring back to our sessions.
Somewhere between those late-night and early-morning recording sessions, my sound naturally evolved into its own distinct thing. By the time the beginning of this year rolled around, I finally had enough songs for a complete album.
9. I’m sure every lyric in your songs has something meaningful to say. What kind of messages will listeners find in the new album?
They’ll definitely want to get up and dance to the more Pop-laced tracks, which is exactly what I wanted; I want them to have fun with it. I touch on things most girls go through, like feeling confident again after a breakup or wanting to get back at an ex.
Those are the types of songs that I gravitate toward the most. I also have tracks tinged with some angst sprinkled in between to really dive into the storytelling aspect. Each hurdle—whether it was dealing with an ex-boyfriend or navigating LA mean girls—had distinct layers, and those layers were never just a single emotion.
10. Are you planning to drop any new music videos? And if so, can you give us a hint about what the first single will be?
The first single off the album drops tonight. It’s called “Lolita,” and I’m incredibly proud of what Spencer and I put together. The idea first sparked for me about two years ago, right after coming off a relationship with a man who was 14 years my senior.
Looking back on it, I felt there was such a profound power imbalance that closely mirrored Vladimir Nabokov’s novel.
What fascinates me about “Lolita” is Humbert’s role as an incredibly slick, unreliable narrator. He uses beautiful prose to mask an asymmetrical, unhealthy reality. My song is about waking up to that exact dynamic in my own life.
I was young, dealing with a partner who was a master of his own voice—someone who knew exactly how to script a room, read a line, or manipulate a narrative.
“Lolita” is the realization that you’ve been cast as a character in someone else’s strange adult playground.
CONNECT WITH SHAELYN AVALON
Hi, I’m Erick Ycaza — a music blogger with a BA in Advertising & Graphic Design. I created this blog to keep you updated with daily music news. Surprisingly, I’ve been writing about music since 2007. If you’re an artist and would like to be featured, feel free to reach out: info@electrowow.net
