’s NXT competition — a first-of-its-kind singing competition designed to discover the next great unsigned artist using TikTok — and propelled him all the way to the finale. Across the competition’s many weeks of unique song-based challenges, Avery held a slot in the top three, setting the stage for his appearance in the December finale, where he faced off against Amir Brandon and Sophie Marks.
When Avery was 14, he begged for a computer. He’d heard of a versatile and user-friendly piece of software that budding artists could use to self-record vocals and experiment with production. That year, his single mother spent her entire tax return on procuring Avery the computer — a gift for which he is still grateful. The hardware proved to be the missing piece that could make his dreams come true.
Bronze Avery photographed using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G on Dec. 7, 2021 at the Avalon in Hollywood.On TikTok, Avery riffs on follower engagement to serve the algorithm catchy melodies and mini-songs. The more unfiltered his output, the greater the fan response. Within a matter of months on the app, Avery’s writing process shifted from what he figured fans wanted to hear to what he wanted to say.
Over the past year, Avery has been focused on “gut-based” music-making. His latest project, HIDDEN PPL, is particularly instinctual. Each month, Avery drops a new single under that moniker the way one might write a new journal entry, each song disguising his natural singing voice with postproduction pitch-shifting.
Avery is a pop enthusiast, and among his contemporary idols, Charli XCX is queen. The hyperpop pioneer’s trajectory has been important to Avery, who has spent years harmonizing with her hits in his L.A. apartment. When the two had a virtual face-to-face as part of the NXT mentorship process, Avery couldn’t help but think of that expectations-mediating adage: “Never meet your heroes.” Then, his hero answered the phone.
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'When you first start, it can feel like there's only one spot at the table, like there's only room for one gay Black boy,' bronzeavery says to Billboard and samsungmobileus. ad 'And we just realized that we don't have to compete.' Read more: