Toronto born Ava Kay has had plenty of domestic success as a songwriter and composer in Canada, but stretches her wings for her first solo release Wild Again. Describing her style as “cinematic pop”, it’s clear that Kay is working on creating music that’s imbued with emotion and atmosphere. What’s noticeable about Wild Again is how simple it is: Vocals and strings are doing the heavy lifting here, with a sprinkling of piano to add a sense of drama, and that’s about it. “I often crave calm, reflective music myself and I wanted to be able to create songs that were true to that, while still making records that people can connect to without it feeling too insular. Wild Again feels like all that without any compromises” shares Kay. In the mould of Dua Lipa or Rita Ora, there’s an almost unquantifiable energy to Ava Kay’s vocals here. Listening to Wild Again, it feels as if she’s waiting to unleash something even more powerful, but it never quite comes. That restraint isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It fits with the atmospheric vibe here, and leads on to the promise of bolder offerings from the Canadian in the future. Wild Again is a strong debut offering that places Ava Kay firmly on the pop map. Importantly, her next move is likely to be more influential in deciding her trajectory from here. With a debut EP due out in the summer, we’ll be paying close attention to what it delivers.