At just sixteen, Ava Valianti writes with a sense of emotional clarity and self-awareness that many artists spend decades trying to master. Her new single, “Running on Empty,” taken from her debut EP petunias, captures that rare intersection between youthful vulnerability and timeless storytelling. It’s a late-night confessional that transforms heartbreak into quiet revelation—a song that aches, but never wallows.
Ava wrote “Running on Empty” in a hotel room after her first back-to-back live shows in New York City, a moment of exhaustion and reflection that turned into art. The result is a track that feels deeply personal yet universally resonant. “People don’t always leave in one big moment,” she explains. “They fade out in little ways until one day you realize they’re gone.” That sentiment drives the song’s emotional core—a realization that love doesn’t always end with a bang, but with a quiet, aching fade.
Sonically, “Running on Empty” sits comfortably in the space between indie pop introspection and singer-songwriter sincerity. The production is minimal yet immersive, built on soft piano chords, subtle beats, and Ava’s strikingly emotive vocals. Her voice—gentle but unwavering—carries a kind of honesty that feels immediate and raw. You can hear the late-night quiet of that hotel room in every line, the emotional fatigue and bittersweet calm that comes when the tears have already fallen.
The song’s lyrical depth is what makes it so powerful. Ava doesn’t rely on grand metaphors; instead, she sketches the small, human details that make heartbreak so real—the hollow conversations, the empty space where someone used to be. It’s this understated storytelling that gives “Running on Empty” its emotional weight. She writes not as an observer, but as someone who’s lived through the ache and come out stronger, still learning how to keep going when the fuel of love runs low.
As the emotional centerpiece of petunias, the single beautifully reflects the EP’s larger theme: finding beauty in what’s easily overlooked. Just as petunias bloom quietly in the background, Ava’s songs uncover the hidden grace in ordinary moments—the loneliness after love, the confusion of growing up, the fragile hope that lingers even in loss. It’s a collection that feels deeply lived-in, full of imperfections and introspection, yet radiant with resilience.
What’s remarkable is how Ava balances that emotional maturity with an effortless sense of melody. “Running on Empty”doesn’t just tug at the heart—it stays in your head. The chorus swells gently without overstatement, the kind of refrain that listeners will find themselves humming long after the song ends. It’s the kind of writing that places her in the lineage of modern indie storytellers like Phoebe Bridgers, Lizzy McAlpine, and Gracie Abrams, while maintaining a sound entirely her own.
With over 300 radio spins, multiple New England Music Award nominations, and a growing fanbase that stretches far beyond Massachusetts, Ava Valianti is quickly proving that age is no barrier to depth or authenticity. “Running on Empty”is more than a song—it’s a statement of who she is: an artist unafraid to feel, to reflect, and to turn pain into poetry.
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