AV Super Sunshine – Are You Happy?

By starrymag | August 1, 2019

By: MJ Asuncion

 

Q) Congratulations on your new single, “Are You Happy?” The message of this song is very powerful, in that it helps bring to light how mental health issues can affect happiness. Please give us your thoughts on why this is such an important topic and why it remains relevant amongst people of all ages.

A) Thanks and extra thanks for all of the awesome support. Today, more than ever, life’s gotten very complicated with many distractions. It’s an especially confusing time to be a human. Mental illness, depression and addiction are all on the rise and it just breaks our hearts.  I’ve been there myself so I know how desperate it can feel.  We’re even closer to this as Philomena and I ran an open mic where we got to help a lot of young people who were dealing with problems ranging from gender identity issues to abusive living conditions.  It’s heavy times and we need to talk about it.

 

Q) I admire how you write songs from your own experience and also from the heart. Talk a bit about the process of writing this song. Did it come together rather quickly or did it go through several changes before becoming the final song we have heard?

A) Well, I just came off our “Baby Goodbye” studio sessions and we had this girl sing on the title track who sounded so good I wanted to quick try another recording with her (Ruby Amanfu). I had the song’s riff stuck in my head already and been working the opening line: “Need a happy song, the kind that you want to sing along” and the rest just flowed out of me very easily.  My producer loved it out of the box.

 

Q) The launch of “Are You Happy?” coincides with BBC’s announcement for a major new pan-BBC mental health season. What words of advice would you offer those who are fighting the mental health stigma?

A) My best quick advice would be build yourself a support team of trustworthy people. There’s lots of good people out there to talk things out and grow with. Then, get rid of all the haters.  Avoid them, the unhealthy people who want to control your feelings.  Start with social media.  Block the unhealthy people and don’t pay attention to them.  Don’t let them control your happiness.

 

Q) If you could describe this song in three words, what would they be?

A) Your Happiness Matters!

 

Q) The music video for this song is so much fun to watch, where did the concept come from and how long did it take to shoot?

A) Philomena found a Lego movie kit in the clearance bin at the local department store.  She wanted to try a Lego music video so we got to work.  She came up with the race track idea.  We wanted to add ourselves to the mix and since we don’t drive formula one cars, we thought racing around a golf course chasing a white ball would do just fine.  The project took a couple months to complete and to our amazement it worked.

 

Q) The song has such an important message, but I also feel that it sparks joy to anyone who listens to it. Outside of this, what do you hope the song does for your fans and anyone giving it a listen?

A) I wanted to make four minutes of distraction that could make people forget all their problems and just groove along.  Find their happy zone or a place of peace.  I wanted to give the listener something simple, positive and easy to understand hoping they take comfort and believe they have a friend, AV Super Sunshine, who understands.

 

Q) As a severe depression and PTSD survivor yourself, you understand how it affects not only yourself but those who care about you. What advice would you offer to anyone who has a friend or family member that is suffering from depression or mental health illness?

A) The first few years after my diagnosis Philomena put up with my worst behavior.  I was very self-destructive for a long period of time. She continued to point this out to me and how it was affecting those around me. With her patience, I was able to eventually see this clearly and correct my behavior. I have great empathy with abuse victims and Philomena helped me to see that my panic attacks were at times abusive to others. Ultimately, I realized how important communication is when overcoming depression and mental illness.

 

Q) How do you feel your sound has changed or evolved in the last few years that you’ve began writing again?

A) I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with some very talented musicians and artists. It also helps that my music director, Michael Bradford, is a certified hit maker. Now that we’re showing up on more Pop and Adult Contemporary charts and playlists he’s really made me pay more attention to the lyrical content and subject matter. That’s probably made the biggest difference.

 

Q) I know some artists who release rough cuts to a select group of their fans before their album is officially released. Do you usually let other people listen to a song for feedback before it is the final cut?  

A) Philomena gives me honest feedback while I’m writing a song.  If she doesn’t like something, I’ve found it’s usually not worth pursuing.  The songs I do finish are usually for specific themed albums like Candyland.  When recording a new album, I usually have a large surplus of songs pre-written allowing the producer to throw out all the weak song.  We then have a good group of industry professionals we can send mixes out to for feedback. They in turn usually send our mixes out to their contacts for feedback.  So probably a hundred folks hear each new track and give feedback before we pick the singles.

 

Q) Who was the first person that you had listen to “’Are You Happy?” outside of those involved in making it?

A) This is funny and usually true for artists, each of our separate set of parents.

 

Q) How having this new single out, what can your fans expect from you this year in regards to your music style and direction? Are you currently working on new songs or projects?

A) We have two more CDs which follow Candyland Volume 2 and the full band studio recording of Candyland. We also have a film coming out based on the “Alien Abduction” song and mixes. That’s going to keep us busy for a while, especially when we start touring.

 

Q) What would you like to say to those who are fans and supporters of your music?

A) Thank you so much.  We are so grateful for your support.  Recording quality music and content is very time consuming and can be expensive.  Promoting it so you get to see it is even more expensive.  As true independent artists, we can attest that the major labels control the airways, media and the content we see and hear.  Your support has allowed us to compete head to head with these majors giving our art a voice and a chance.  We can’t do it without you, so please accept our most sincere thank you.