Coming Of Age with Ava Valianti's 'Distant'

There’s something special about a song that makes you want to dance and cry at the same time - and ‘Distant’, the latest single from 15-year-old Ava Valianti, hits that bittersweet nerve perfectly. 

It’s a track that wears its heart on its sleeve, a coming-of-age anthem wrapped in shimmering production and grounded by a striking emotional honesty.

Right from the opening guitar strums, ‘Distant’ feels like a personal memory. Valianti’s voice is clear and close, carrying a warmth that pulls you in before the full instrumentation even kicks in. But when it does, the track blooms - synths swell, basslines groove, and the beat skips forward with a subtle pulse. It’s the kind of sonic lift that sneaks up on you, making the heartbreak in the lyrics all the more poignant.

The song explores the slow unraveling of childhood friendships - the kind that don’t break so much as fade, slipping into the background as life gets in the way. Lines like “we see each other on the weekends sometimes… you say you’re gonna be real busy” capture that awkward, painful shift with a maturity far beyond Valianti’s age. She doesn’t dramatise it - she just tells it like it is, and somehow that’s even more devastating.

One of the most compelling moments comes in the pre-chorus, when the energy dips and we’re left with nothing but reverberating piano and raw vulnerability. It’s a breath, a pause in the motion, where the sadness comes fully into focus. And then just like that, the track picks up again - bright and bouncy, almost deceptively so, with the hook “it feels distant, you feel distant” looping like a truth you’re finally coming to terms with.

At just 15, Ava Valianti is already writing music with the depth and subtlety of a seasoned artist. ‘Distant’ isn’t just another sad song with a fun beat - it’s a beautifully crafted reflection on change, memory, and the emotional gray area between holding on and letting go. And if this is where she’s starting, the road ahead looks very bright.

Zahra Hanif

Image ‘Distant’ Official Single Cover

 

If you enjoyed reading this article please consider buying us a coffee. The money from this pot goes towards the ever increasing yearly costs of running and hosting the site, as well as our monthly "Writer Of The Month" article prize.