Bonita Vista High School junior Kieler Avery released her first six-song EP titled “Punchline” on digital platforms on Dec. 4, a first collection of her original songs.
A fusion of rock, pop, country, and ballads, the EP brings out the diversity of this 16 year old, who has been singing ever since she can remember.
Moving from cover songs to originals, the singer/songwriter said in the beginning she was worried that no one would want to hear her sing her originals, but in performing them she said she was thankful that she was wrong.
Kieler’s voice is as original and diversified as her love for different genres, and the expansion of her EP is proof that this young singer shows that she can tackle any style of song with her tones, range and ability. From soft melodic tunes to the grit of rock and roll, Kieler shows that nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it, regardless of your age.
“Ever since I could talk, I have been singing,” she said. “I started playing the guitar about four years ago. I am self-taught on the guitar and the ukulele, and I have taken playing piano for six years. I have always had music in my life, and it is something that I have always loved.”
Kieler said she began writing originals about two years ago and began sharing them with her friends about a year ago. She said she finds it “kind of funny” there is about every genre in six songs.
“I try to incorporate a lot of different styles because it is new and it is fun,” she said. “I love to try and make things different. I do not want everything to be the same. I think that it is really cool and having diversity in albums and music is awesome. I do not think that anyone has to stick to a specific genre or style. You can do whatever you want and that is what I love about music.”
Kieler said “Joke,” a rock song, was written about an experience that happened to a friend and begins with her shouting “Don’t screw over a songwriter!” She said the incident made her upset so she had to write a song about it.
“I think every teenager goes through a lot of what I talk about in my songs,” she said. “They are basically about growing up and dealing with everything that happens with that.”
Kieler said that at school, she balances school with performances with nationally-renown BVHS Music Machine competitive show choir as a dance captain.
“We sing, dancing, sets, designs, lighting, everything you can think of is in that program and I love it,” she said.
Kieler said theater has helped her in her early career and that is where she began. She first performed at the Bonitafest Melodrama at 3-years-old and has participated in other theater programs since.
“This is when I really started singing and it definitely something I still love,” she said. “I do not do it as often as I used to, but I wish I could because I really love it. It helped me be more open about myself. Taught me not to be shy anymore because as a kid I was super shy. Getting on stage was something that got me out of my shell.”
Kieler said over the past six months she began writing about things she was having a hard time dealing with and that she uses her music as her own outlet.
She said “Punchline” came from the opening track of the EP “Joke.”
“It is in the song, and it just seemed fitting that that was the name for the whole album,” she said.
Kieler said she has her own versatile collection of artists that she loves to pull storytelling and musicality from including, Elton John, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Amy Winehouse, Tori Kelly and Harry Styles.
Kieler said the most important thing in life is to do what makes you happy.
“Whatever you want to do or whoever you want to be, just do it,” she said. “That is the best advice that I have ever been given.”
