Q&A: Audriix

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How did you come up with the name of the band?
I’ve actually gone by Audrey / audreyismusic for a long time but wanted something to stand out more. My last name ends with a silent X so I loved the idea of combining that with my first name to get Audriix, still pronounced the same as “Audrey.”

How would you describe your sound?
Poppy, empowering, upbeat, catchy, and positive.

When did you first become interested in playing music?
When I was 2 years old, I heard Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and begged my mom to let me take violin lessons. After a year of badgering her, she finally said yes when I turned 3. Soon after I started singing at 4, playing piano at 5, and songwriting at 6. So music has always been my passion for my entire life.

What’s the strangest or funniest thing that’s ever happened to you at a show?
Last year, I opened for Aly & AJ on their European tour and released my single “Stampede” on the day of the Manchester show. I ended my set with that song and everyone in the audience knew all the lyrics already and were singing along! I was just so surprised and excited that people had already learned my song that had come out just that day!

What are you listening to these days?
Taylor Swift, Ava Max, Ben Platt, Granger Smith, Harry Styles, Frozen 2 Soundtrack.

What are some of your favorite Bay Area music venues?
One of my favorite places I’ve played several times was Club Fox in Redwood City. It’s got a super cool vibe, terrific colorful lighting, and I love that there’s an upstairs area where people can watch the show from above, or get up close and personal on the dance floor in front of the stage.

What are some of your favorites hangs in the Bay Area and why?
I went to Stanford, so I really love going back and walking around campus. It’s beautiful and nostalgic and so large that you can spend hours just strolling around. I also love eating out in Downtown Palo Alto which has so many good restaurants; I’ve really missed eating out during these coronavirus times!

What does music mean to you?
Music means passion, happiness, and dreams. All I’ve ever wanted to do was music. In my “free time” when I’m not working on my music, I’m still doing music. I could and do sit at the piano for hours singing, writing music, and just having the best time. I actually cannot remember the last time I took a day off because I don’t want to. I have always dreamed of being a big popstar and I am so grateful that I get to spend every day working towards this dream. In addition to just the music itself and performing side of it, music is also a way for me to connect with people and hopefully inspire young girls to feel empowered to do anything they set their minds to.

What inspires you to write?
I always write from personal experiences. In my recent album Status Change, there were three major themes I wrote about. First, a lot of my songs are about relationships, from falling in love to heartbreak to lust. Second, I love to write women empowerment songs. One of the things that inspire me most in my music career is wanting to empower young women by sharing my own experiences where I’ve had to face adversity, believe in myself, and stay strong. One of my favorite songs I wrote is called “Red Flag,” a true story about someone who came on way too strong and didn’t understand that no means no. And finally, I like to write about modern dating in a world of technology. For example, my song “Stampede” tells the story of a “status change” (hence the album title) online alerting everyone to my new single relationship status, and social media enabling people to contact me from all different angles.

What’s your favorite neighborhood in the city and why?
My favorite part of San Francisco is the Theatre District. I am a massive musical theatre fan and (pre-coronavirus) go to all of the shows that come through. Fun fact, the music video for my song “Crazy” featured my good friend Brendon Chan, who was in the cast of Hamilton SF, dancing with me. I also spend a lot of time in this area of SF going to acting classes, both to work on my acting while singing and just straight acting.

What’s one thing that people would be surprised to find out about you?
I have three degrees from Stanford! I studied computer science with a focus in graphics for my undergrad (where I also played on the Stanford Women’s Varsity Golf Team), and then went straight to a joint master’s in computer science and MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. A lot of people are surprised at my background, but I actually use skills I learned from Stanford every single day. I use my graphics background in creating and editing my music videos, photoshopping photos, doing graphic design, and managing my website. I took a ton of classes at CCRMA (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics) which had an actual recording studio, where I learned production, mixing, miking techniques, sound engineering, mastering, everything about the studio which I use all the time. And I constantly am using skills on personal branding, marketing, negotiations, and more which I learned at the GSB on the business side of music; I like to say that I’m approaching my music career like a startup.

Is there anything you’d like to plug?
I released my first full-length album Status Change recently! Available on Spotify, Apple Music, everywhere you listen to music.

Photo by Niels Vinck

Having released albums under Digital Nations, a label founded by Steve Vai, music critic Louis Raphael has remained deeply connected to the pulse of the San Francisco music scene. Following his tenure as the San Francisco Music Examiner for Examiner.com and AXS.com, he embarked on creating Music in SF® to authentically highlight the vibrant offerings of the city's music scene.