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Photo by Steffen Lauterbach
Aura Davis redefines modern rock guitar with a rare combination of emotional depth and technical precision. Her music grips the soul while her storytelling commands the stage, making every performance unforgettable." – Guitar Thrills Magazine
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Aura Davis is a Swiss singer-songwriter and guitarist whose music blends raw emotion, rock energy, and intimate storytelling. Picking up the guitar at 22 during a pivotal personal moment, she transformed early struggles into a compelling musical voice marked by melancholic vulnerability and bold, honest expression. Drawing inspiration from prog-rock bands like Porcupine Tree, Riverside, and Soen, as well as female rock icons such as Melissa Etheridge and Grace Potter, Aura crafts songs that are both emotionally resonant and technically engaging.
A Journey of Sound
Aura began writing poetry and stories as a child, but it was during a personal downturn in her early twenties that she discovered the guitar. Music became her lifeline, and she quickly developed a style that fuses intense emotion with rock-driven instrumentation. Her candid lyrics often explore themes of depression, self-discovery, and identity, resonating with listeners on a deeply personal level.
Achievements and Highlights
Storytelling & Lyricism – Known for her authentic, relatable lyrics that address real-life experiences and emotional growth.
Debut EP Release – Launched her first EP Emotionally Unavailable, establishing her as a rising talent in the European music scene.
Extensive European Tour – Performed over 120 shows across Switzerland, the UK, and Germany, showcasing her solo and intimate live performances.
Chart Success – Her single “Hearts Don’t Bend” reached #6 on the UK Commercial Pop Charts.
Debut Album – Released Eloquently Aggressive, marking a transition to full-band performances while retaining emotional authenticity.
Critical Recognition – Gained media attention across Europe for her emotionally honest and genre-crossing style.
Musical Influences – Successfully fuses prog-rock, classic rock, and modern singer-songwriter inspiration into a distinctive, bold sound.
Recognition and Influence
Aura Davis stands out for her authenticity and emotional reach. Her willingness to expose vulnerability in both music and performance has earned her a dedicated following. Critics have praised her ability to maintain intimacy in large-scale performances, bridging the gap between personal storytelling and dynamic stage presence.
Looking Ahead
Her fearless exploration of rock, prog influences, and heartfelt storytelling ensures that her name will continue to resonate with audiences who value both technical mastery and authentic expression. Aura Davis is a rising force whose artistry promises to leave a lasting impact on the modern music scene.
INTERVIEW WITH AURA DAVIS AND GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE
Guitar Thrills: You started playing guitar at 22 during a pivotal moment in your life. How did that experience shape your music and songwriting?
Aura: I actually wouldn’t make music if I didn’t write first. Writing has always been the thing that saved me. Picking up the guitar at 22 gave me a way to turn those raw words into something alive. I’ve always been brutally honest—sometimes too much for everyday life—but music gave me a space where that honesty isn’t just tolerated, it’s celebrated. That’s how I found my voice: by realizing I could be direct, vulnerable, even uncomfortable, and people would connect with it instead of pulling away.
Guitar Thrills: Your music blends rock, prog, and deeply personal storytelling. How do you approach balancing technical skill with emotional expression?
Aura: When I’m writing, I don’t listen to other music because I don’t want to subconsciously copy anything. The hardest part is always translating what I hear in my head into reality. I’ve got this vision of mixing prog’s melancholy with the fire of female rock voices and anchoring it all in honest storytelling—and honestly, most producers I’ve worked with just didn’t get it. My album Eloquently Aggressive turned out great, but it lost some of the prog sadness that was there in the raw songs. With the new material, I worked with a team who fully understood me—and this time, the songs sound exactly the way they were meant to. No compromises this time 😊
Guitar Thrills: Can you describe the moment when you realized music had become your lifeline?
Aura: Honestly, there was never this big “lightbulb moment.” It’s just always been there. I was born with it. Music has been the one constant that heals my soul when nothing else can. But it took me 22 years to realize I could actually make music myself. I never dared to try before, because I had such deep respect for it—almost this fear of ruining it. For a long time, my mindset was: If I can’t be great at it, I won’t touch it. But when I hit rock bottom and lost the will to live, I thought: screw it, nothing matters anymore. That’s when I picked up the guitar—and that’s when music stopped being just something I loved and became the reason I’m still here.
Guitar Thrills: Who are your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound as a guitarist and singer?
Aura: I’ve always gravitated toward sad, heavy, even depressing music—that’s where I feel most at home. While some people cheer themselves up with happy songs, I turn to Porcupine Tree, Katatonia, Riverside, or Soen. Their music might sound bleak, but for me it’s strangely comforting. Happy music makes me fucking miserable. On the other side, I look up to fearless women like Melissa Etheridge and Grace Potter—the way they tell their stories with nothing but a guitar and raw honesty really get me. And now that I’m fronting a full band, I also look at Taylor Momsen from The Pretty Reckless. Our music isn’t really comparable, but that raw stage energy, that pressure of leading from the front—I live for it..
Guitar Thrills: Your lyrics often explore vulnerability, identity, and self-discovery. How do you translate personal experiences into songs that resonate universally?
Aura: That’s a great question, and I could probably give you some long, complex explanation—but the truth is, I don’t know. I don’t think about universality when I’m writing. I just write what’s real for me in the rawest way I can, and somehow people see their own stories in it. Maybe that’s the trick: the more brutally personal it is, the more it connects.
Guitar Thrills: Touring across Europe, what differences have you noticed in audience responses to your music?
Aura: Audiences can be wildly different from country to country. In Switzerland, people are very respectful—sometimes almost too respectful. They’ll sit quietly, watch every move, and it can leave you wondering, “Are you with me? Are you enjoying this?” As a performer, that’s tough, because you feed off the energy coming back at you. In the UK it’s the opposite—those crowds are absolutely wild. They dance, scream, sing every word, and keep you on your toes from the first note. Italy has that same fiery vibe. Germany is somewhere in between, depending on the city. Over time, I’ve learned to love all of it. Different cultures show their passion in different ways—but if people buy a ticket and show up for you, that’s proof enough we’re all there for the same reason: music connects us.
Guitar Thrills: How did releasing your debut EP Emotionally Unavailable impact your career and your confidence as an artist?
Aura: Honestly, Emotionally Unavailable wasn’t even planned as an EP. We were just releasing singles. But once I started gigging, people kept coming up after shows asking for CDs—and I had nothing. I felt like an idiot standing there saying, “well actually… I don’t.” The requests kept piling up, so my team and I decided to bundle the singles and add a few unreleased bonus tracks.
I grew up waiting weeks for a new release, begging my parents to drive me to the local store so I could finally hold a physical record in my hands. I’d lock myself in my room, listen to it on repeat, and get lost in every detail—the lyrics, the cover art, even the smell of the booklet. Having my own EP in my hands for the first time hit me harder than I expected. I was proud, but also deeply moved, because I realized that maybe one day, someone else could hold my music the way I once held the records that saved me.
Streaming has changed so much of that culture, and I think we’ve lost something beautiful along the way. But I’ve also seen that true music fans still show up for physical records. They still care. And the shift back is already happening—kids are buying vinyl, picking up cassettes, even using “old” phones again. In a world drowning in fake, AI-generated content, people are craving the real, the human, the imperfect. And I believe that hunger for authenticity will only grow stronger.
Guitar Thrills: What inspired your debut album Eloquently Aggressive, and how does it differ from your earlier work?
Aura: I just wrote and wrote and wrote—I wasn’t in “album mode” at all. I just had way too many songs piling up to release as singles or an EP. I think I demoed about 35 songs in just a few months. Then one day, this guy I didn’t even know messaged me on Instagram saying, “I’ve been watching you and I like what you do.” He turned out to be a total music fanatic—and an investor. He invited me to come to London, so I packed my guitar and flew over. We talked music, opportunities, and business, and he suggested we put together a full-length record with his team. That’s basically how Eloquently Aggressive was born.
We went through all my demos, tried to find the “red thread”—the through-line that tied everything together—brought in phenomenal session musicians, and started shaping what became my first album. At first, we didn’t even have a title. Then one day during a vocal session, producer Jamie Brown looked up from the lyrics and said, “Aura, your writing is really fucking eloquently aggressive.” We all froze for a second, looked at each other, and went: “Well, now we’ve got our title.”
Sonically, it’s night and day compared to the EP. Emotionally Unavailable was entirely self-produced—I had no resources, no knowledge, and honestly no fucking clue what I was doing. The LP was the complete opposite: a fully produced, professional record. If you compare them side by side, the difference is obvious. But in a way, the EP is still a little more “me”—it’s sadder, more melancholic, less worried about whether it would ever make it to the radio. With my new work coming out this year, I feel like I’m finally combining both worlds: a strong production, but with my own character carved deep into it.
Guitar Thrills: How do you maintain authenticity and intimacy when performing solo versus with a full band?
Aura: Honestly, I don’t overthink it. Performing—whether it’s solo or with the band—always comes down to being real and authentic. I just want to tell the truth and give the best performance I can. When I’m on my own, I’ve got more freedom to follow the moment: maybe play a section twice, stop a song halfway, or switch up the setlist on the spot. I can do that with the band too, but it’s trickier to keep everything on track when it’s not just me up there. Still, sometimes I’ll throw them a curveball and they just have to deal with my shit. Luckily, we’re such a tight unit now that we barely need words—gestures and looks are enough to keep us locked in.
Guitar Thrills: As a female guitarist in the modern rock scene, what challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
Aura: Honestly, no one’s ever really been mean to me—not so far, anyway. And even if they were, I’m my own biggest critic. There’s nothing anyone could throw at me that I haven’t already told myself. I’m a songwriter and storyteller first, so you’re not going to hear any flashy guitar solos from me—that’s never been the point. But when Blade Guitars offered me an endorsement, things shifted. At first, I thought it was a joke when Gary emailed my agency—I couldn’t believe they’d actually want to back me. But it was real. And once my favorite guitar brand put their trust in me, I thought, “oh shit, now I’ve got to get really fucking good at this.” So that’s where I’m at: pushing myself harder, learning more, and proving—mostly to myself—that I belong here.
Guitar Thrills: Can you share a moment on stage when you felt a powerful connection with your audience?
Aura: I once played a small gig in a local bar—just me, no band. There was a woman sitting in the front row, and when I played my song Cognitive Distortion, which is about being suicidal but somehow always stumbling back into survival, she suddenly stood up. Tears were rolling down her face and she screamed, “HELL YES GIRL!” And this was in Switzerland, where people are usually pretty reserved—so that hit me like lightning. After the show, she came up to me, asked if she could give me a hug, and shared her story with me. Moments like that are why I do this. That’s the real connection, and nothing compares to it.
Guitar Thrills: Looking ahead, what goals and ambitions do you have for the next chapter of your musical career?
Aura: Right now, it’s about putting out these new songs, playing bigger stages, and hopefully hitting some great festivals next year. I want to keep writing, keep improving, and keep building real connections with people. More than anything, I want to bring real music back into a world that feels more fake every day. I’m hard on myself, so I don’t make huge “life-changing goal plans”—that kind of pressure would crush me if things didn’t move fast enough. Luckily, I’ve got a great manager who can think big for me. My job is simple: write music that’s honest, raw, and maybe saves someone’s life the way music once saved mine.
Conclusion
Aura Davis has emerged as a powerful voice in modern rock, blending technical skill with deeply personal storytelling. From her first intimate performances to full band shows across Europe, she demonstrates that music can be both vulnerable and electrifying. Her fearless exploration of emotion, identity, and sound makes every song and performance compelling, leaving audiences captivated and inspired. With her artistry continuing to evolve, Aura Davis is a guitarist and songwriter whose impact will resonate far beyond the stage.
"Aura Davis commands the stage with a rare combination of fiery guitar mastery and heartfelt storytelling. Each note she plays is infused with emotion, making her performances as unforgettable as they are electrifying." – Guitar Thrills Magazine
A RECAP OF WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
