By Don Rush

A year of sadness and healing, however a year of growth and opportunities. That is how Ava Swieczkowski described the year 2022. When last Leader readers read of Swieczkowski, 18, who goes by the professional name of Ava Swiss, was singing at Detroit’s annual Thanksgiving Parade. Before that, readers learned of the talented young singer’s experiences on the national television show, America’s Got Talent.

We wanted to check in with her to see what 2023 might bring her way.

“We just spent about a month in Fort Myers,” she said recently. “We (her family, mother Kristin, father Mark and siblings, Marcus, Reed and Norah) were trying to soak up as much sun as we could get. It was a lot of great family time. It was really great to bond with everyone and to reconnect and rejuvenate and we did some renovations to the home down there,” she said.

While down there, she also worked in recording studios with a number of producers.

“It’s really fun working in the studios because you can take all your ideas and make them come true. It is also very cool to have other people there to bounce off your ideas and all work together. There’s all that amazing equipment. Literally any sound you want to try. If you think, ‘It would really be cool to have a sound of a car going by,’ they can do that. Being able to bring my vision to the recording studio is my favorite part. We worked on some stuff, however I am not allowed to disclose too much. But, in the future you can expect — whether with a producer or on my own — some more songs to be released.”

She said there has been some song writing “going on” ti and within the next couple of months she hopes to release an “EP” (extended play) record. “Not a full album, but a couple of more songs.”

One of the songs she wrote and produced on her own is called “Pretending.” There were no producers involved. She recently recorded it live and is streaming it online. She is currently working on a music video to go with that single – to be released in a few weeks, her mom Kristin said.

For the Pretending live release single, Swiss said it took her about four hours to record. “I decided I wanted it to be very raw, just a piano and my voice. If there were other instruments, it would have taken a couple of hours longer.”

From the Oxford High School shooting in November of 2021, to graduating from OHS last May, to appearing on America’s Got Talent TV show, Swiss said the last 13 months have been “crazy.”

“Obviously, the end of 2021 was extremely difficult, but it is so funny because so many amazing things happened to me in 2022 that I could have only dreamed of before. I am so thankful for everything which has happened to me, I would not take any of it back. It’s crazy because even for somebody like me who seems like they have this perfect life, I think it is important to know that struggling with your mental health is so very real. For me, 2022 was probably one of my hardest years with my mental health. It was so amazing and good in so many ways, but I also struggled a lot and I think it is important to spread that awareness – no matter how great someone’s life may seem, everybody has things they are still going through.”

Swiss said she is excited about 2023. “Appearing on Americas’ Got Talent was amazing, but I am thinking it was just the start of everything to come. I am so excited to be branching out and becoming my own artist, releasing my own music and finding my own voice and sound and sharing it with everybody.”

The next time readers can see Swiss live is on the evening of Feb. 25, at The Wine Social in downtown Lake Orion. To follow her career and see what’s up next for the singer, check out her Facebook page, AvaSwissMusic, on Instagram, @AvaSwissMusic or on Tik Tok, AvaSwissMusic.

Ava “Swiss” Swieczkowski recorded herself singing her latest song, “Pretending” she describes as “ very raw, just a piano and my voice.” To watch it go to the Facebook page, Ava Swiss Music. Photo provided.