Bronze Avery Wants You To Sweat With 'Heatwave'

What was the initial inspiration for HEATWAVE?

I'm a big fan of a title track, so once most of the album was completed, I wanted to create a song that encapsulated all of the sounds and themes of the record into one singular sonic moment. It takes inspiration from the Euro-house and follows in the footsteps of Kylie Minogue and Janet Jackson, who were my guiding lights as I was making this record.

How did you translate that inspiration into the music video?

The music video was the same way. I made it over the course of two weeks and put it together piece by piece. I directed, edited, produced, casted and colored this music video like I do for most of my visuals. My creative partner and DP Jussy was by my side at all times and really helped me execute my vision. Everyone in the video is an actual friend of mine, so it's special watching it back and seeing our memories reflected in visual form.

What are some of the themes you dig into on HEATWAVE?

HEATWAVE the album was a bit unexpected. February 2023 I was in the middle of tour promoting my last album SOFTMETAL, which was very introspective and emotional. I flew back to Los Angeles and went on a party bus for my friend's birthday. They took turns playing songs from my friends such as Slayyyter and Gia Woods who were present, but my songs never made the queue. I realized the music I was making wasn't meant for partying and it really fucked with my head because I spent so many years crafting and studying pop songwriting and my heart was in dance music and my community (queers) hadn't seen this side of me yet.

At that moment, I knew I had to make some music that would inspire people to dance, party, and let loose. I started with a couple songs, and originally called it a mixtape named "PREGAME PALACE", then "100 DEGREES." Once I made the first single, "THE ONE (IF YOU TOUCH ME)," I decided that it needed more love and attention than just a mixtape; it needed the full-on attention an album deserves.

I was doing research and found a book called "Spring Broke" by Nathaniel Welch. It was so inspiring visually and reminded me of how much joy came from my time off when I lived in Florida, which is where I'm from. The idea of hot sex, long nights, with emotional lust to fill the gaps became the soundtrack to my summer and the sonic and thematic base of the HEATWAVE you can hear today.

What are you most excited to share next with fans?

Next for me is going back to my roots and taking a deeper step into dance music. As I've been slowly drip-feeding HEATWAVE for the past year, I've also been writing and doing sessions with exciting partners to gear up for what's next. I'm usually a very insular artist and do most things myself including writing, producing, mixing but I wanted to branch out and see what other sounds could come out of me if I worked with others. I had so much to prove as a multi-faceted artist and now I'm ready to live in the music and enjoy every second of it and invite people into that process.

After we wipe a bit of sweat off from HEATWAVE, we'll be right back in the ringer with a healthy dose of collaborations. The party doesn't stop, and that's just how I like it.

Photography: Jussy