Today Avery announced that she signed a new record deal with Island Def Jam. We are totally excited & can’t wait to hear her new music!

So…AMAZING NEWS guys! I just signed a new record deal with@islandrecords !!!! Lots of new music & updates coming soon!!!!

Andd…I am now label mates with @justinbieber and @rihanna <3 None of this would be possible without you guys! #thankful

Also, Avery’s music video for “Go Screw Yourself” has been added to her VEVO youtube account. Click here to view it.

It’s not everyday a video that started out as a joke on YouTube catapults you to stardom, but for singer Avery that’s exactly what happened. The 16-year-old Arizona native sang Guns N’ Roses ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ to reenact a scene from ‘Step Brothers’ and suddenly found herself getting e-mails from a Florida studio executive who believed he had found the next teen pop sensation. (Video Below)

Online Stats
After 2 years, Avery now has 30 million views on YouTube, 84,000 likes on Facebook and 74,000 Twitter followers.

Introductions
We caught up with Avery and her manager Aton Ben-Horn to find out just how the singer’s rise to fame began, and more importantly how other YouTube artists can make it big like her. Initially, Aton stumbled across her YouTube video and saw her raw vocal ability.

“You can always find people with big voices, but to find a pop artist is hard,” he said. “That was the one thing about her voice. It has this unique vibrato, and this very cool pop tone. It sounds very radio. When I watched her in the video, she had that ‘it’ factor,” says Aton.

But, Aton had to convince the then 14-year-old girl and her parents that a musical career and a record deal was indeed a real possibility. He e-mailed Avery’s family and stayed in contact with them for over a year. Her parents eventually gave in when Aton flew to Arizona to work with her. Soon, she was on a flight to Florida where the duo wrote “Love Me or Let Me Go” and shot the music video that now has over 5 million views on YouTube.

RISING STAR
To get attention of major record labels, Aton connected Avery with artists and began to record YouTube videos with stars like Shontelle, Jordin Sparks, Iyaz and Cody Simpson. The plan worked. The same man who had signed Katy Perry offered Avery a record deal at Universal Records.

“I feel really lucky. It’s not everyday that someone gets signed,” Avery said. “To be signed to Universal is an honor, it’s definitely changed my life.”

FIVE SECRETS TO SUCCESS
Over the course of their blossoming careers, Avery & Aton believe that individuality, song selection, and a fan base are crucial to success.

1. Individuality is crucial to getting YouTube singers signed, explained Avery and Aton. “I think that what people should think about is making a cover original. Like a girl singing a guy song and making it completely original. That’s something that grabs my attention,” said Avery.

2. Song selection is significant in building a fan base. “The number one thing is to get a hit song. That, at the end of the day, is what everybody likes. That’s what builds and creates stars. It’s more important to have one hit song than to have 10 okay records,” said Aton. “The one thing that nobody can take away from you is your fans and that [a hit song] is the first step to doing that.”

3. Get support! Every star needs someone who believes in them. “Build a good team that is passionate about your project. It starts with one person that believes in you,” said Aton. Without his belief in Avery’s talent it’s hard to say where the talented singer would be today!

4. It’s all about the fans. “Build a fanbase! The fans are the most important aspect. They’re the ones spreading the word, attending shows, purchasing music, etc. Without them, nothing would be possible.”

5. Stay focused. “Make sure that while you’re pursuing your dreams, you stay in school and find other ways to survive. Like everything in life there are no guarantees,” said Aton. “The good news is we’re in a time where anyone can post their music online for the world to see, with no limits or boundaries! If you have a good product, people will react to it. And if you stay focused and persistent, you WILL succeed!”

Avery’s favorite YouTube artists include Christina Grimmie, Boyce Avenue,Tyler Ward, Karmin, Olivia Noelle, Alyssa Shouse, Kurt Schneider, Tayler Buono, Dave Days, Megan & Liz, Jonnie & Brookie, Skylar Dayne, Annie Kish, Jake Coko, Max Schneider, Emily Harder & Sam Tsui.

“I think it’d be cool to do a collab with someone like Nicki Minaj, she’s really talented,” said Avery.

FUTURE
Avery’s latest music video “Go Screw Yourself” sends a message to bullies. The song is “something everyone can relate to,” she says. ‘Go Screw Yourself GSY’ and ‘Love Me Or Let Me Go’ are available on iTunes. Visit her YouTube page to see the videos that have made this 16-year-old famous! Avery will release more new music before the end of the year, a full length album early next year and will be touring in the near future.

Source: Ryan Seacrest

First of all, I’d like to congratulate Avery & the iPhone band for having their cover of “Stereo Hearts” reach 1 million views!

Secondly, I’ve added two new personal photos of Avery as well as scans from her feature in Glitter Magazine, thanks to Kiki.

Gallery Links:
Home > Miscellaneous > Personal Pictures > Just Avery
Home > Miscellaneous > Personal Pictures > Older
Home > Magazine Scans > Glitter Magazine (2011)

I’ve added “Avery on Ryan Seacrest!” and “Avery Facebook Chat” to the video archive. Check them out by clicking on each picture.

I’ve added a new gallery theme made by Lee and edited by me. I wanted something simple this time & I love how she designed it. You can view it by clicking the picture above.

Come chat with me on my Facebook this Tuesday (October 25) at 4pm Central time!

http://facebook.com/averyofficial