Originally from Minneapolis now residing in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. She’s played at SXSW (Austin), SoHo House / Everyday People (NYC), all over the Lower East Side and Brooklyn (NYC). Over the last few years she has shared the stage and collaborated with Solange Knowles, Blood Orange / Dev Hynes, Carly Rae Jepsen, Melissa Etheridge, The Chainsmokers, Jack Antonoff / BLEACHERS, Chrisette Michele and others. She appears on Blood Orange’s Freetown Sound album and continues to tour with him.
Her summer 2016 single and video ‘Eagle Eye’ received positive reviews from AfroPunk and was named Vimeo ‘Staff Pick’. Shortly after the release, her vocals on Blood Orange’s third album Freetown Sound also received positive reviews and mentions in Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Fader, Crack Magazine and others.
Born a twin to teen parents, Ava grew up in school choirs between Minneapolis with their single, working mom and with their dad (a pimp) in the outskirts of Houston. After a very unconventional childhood Raiin attended the University of Texas (Austin) and moved to NYC where she collaborated with producers and made her rounds in the artist circuit singing at open mic nights. A series of fateful meetings and introductions led to touring gigs as a background singer with a range of artists across the spectrum. After gigging for a few years Raiin took a break from music entirely. She took a job as a full-time creative producer at a major apparel hub in NYC, but would eventually give that up to tour with Solange and work on her own music full-time. Through a friend she was introduced to producer David Siskovic, “Sisko”, and they clicked instantly. The two (and her close friend, singer/songwriter Sye Elaine Spence) created a unique and abstract sound that supported Raiin’s poetic lyrics and entrancing vocals. Her debut album ‘AVA RAIIN’ is available online now debuting at #9 on the R&B charts.
