Avec in an interview:

Avec/Jasmin

Behind the singer Avec is Miriam Hufnagl. She comes from Upper Austria.

(Bild: Kidizin Sane)

Singer/songwriter Avec's fourth album will be released on January 24 and she will be giving a concert in Innsbruck on April 11. The "Krone" met the artist in advance and spoke to her about the different facets of love, her musical development and the "Amadeus Music Award", among other things. 

"Krone": Your new album is called "Avec". What can fans expect?

Avec (Miriam Hufnagl): I've been making music for ten years. The new album feels like it contains a little bit of every album I've released so far. It's my own journey, I've had a lot going on, especially in the past five years. The album is about my life. It's about the facets of love - be it unconditional love within the family, romantic or friendly love. The exciting thing is that love can hurt as much as it can be beautiful. And it's about grief, loss and the process of letting go.

Music is Avec's outlet for processing what they have experienced.

(Bild: Matthias Zeindlhofer)

Do people recognize you and your style in the new album?
A lot has changed - I've changed my writing style, for example, my English has also improved, I now reflect differently and approach topics differently - but you can clearly hear and see that I am Avec.

How have you developed over time?
I've definitely matured, I know my way around the music business much better and I've set up my own label. While composing the new songs, I had the feeling that I no longer had to disguise anything. I've become more direct in my wording, something I wouldn't have dared to do ten years ago. But now it's time to hit the table and tell it like it is - because life doesn't send us the stories it has planned for us in a veiled way. They come one after the other.

You were discovered on social media back then. Can Facebook and the like still be a springboard?
Absolutely. It's never been easier to go viral and be discovered. Anyone can record themselves on their cell phone and post it. We have a cool age for it.

In Austria, the "Amadeus Austrian Music Award" is presented to artists every year. There are always critical voices about it.
I've always been skeptical of such awards. It's nice to receive an award for what you do. But I don't think I need an award to judge how good my music is. For me, the best award is when people come to my concerts. Somehow I have the feeling that this is often forgotten in the music business. You should concentrate on the essentials again - and that's the audience you're making music for.

You're going on tour from the beginning of February.
Exactly! And on April 11, I'm playing with my band in Innsbruck. After my A-levels, I almost moved here to study medicine. But I didn't pass the entrance exam - and then came the music.