ava rose opened the floodgates to cautious optimism in the folk-pop confessional ‘born to dream’ –

ava rose poured pure resonance into born to dream, the soul-stirring opening single from her sophomore album confessions, dreams & unresolved feelings. Through her fervent approach to indie folk pop, she captures the ache and the fight to keep believing in more. In born to dream, the emotional current pulls from a place of vulnerability, but there’s an undercurrent of refusal — to be defined by past pain, to stay stuck in patterns that no longer serve. It’s cautious optimism wrapped in shimmering folk-pop textures, delivered with a maturity that refuses to posture or pretend.

Each chord progression on the acoustic guitar lands like a steady heartbeat. The folk-pop keys dance with a jaunty lilt while her vocals rise through the mix with unfiltered sincerity, leaving emotional resonance vibrating through your core. The chameleonic transitions within the track mirror the shifting landscape of its lyrical confessions, always keeping you on edge for what comes next. ava rose doesn’t hold anything back — and that’s what makes her presence in the folk-pop space in 2025 impossible to overlook.

Raised in the Midwest and now based in North Carolina, ava began reshaping the music she learned in childhood piano lessons before layering guitar into her sonic identity. Since stepping out in 2022 with her debut EPs, her sonic signature has now evolved into a fully realised project, rooted in acoustic vulnerability and rhythmic grace.

born to dream is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast