Jo Avelin

The name I chose to bring my own songwriting forward after years of making and releasing music through collaborative projects that lived outside my singer-songwriter roots.

PHOTO BY NICOLE GOODMAN // MOLALLA, OR 2026

“Jo” comes from my middle name, Josephine, but I’ve always liked the “average Jo” of it too. It felt familiar, ordinary, and a little self-aware. Something about putting a name so plain beside songs drawn from some of my most earnest, dramatic, and emotionally specific moments feels like a wink at the melodrama without diminishing its sincerity. “Avelin” came more instinctively. I liked the way it sounded beside “Jo.” It was softer, more melodic, and almost old-fashioned in its cadence. That just felt true to me.

Together, Jo Avelin had the kind of shape I associated with names like Patsy Cline, Bobbie Gentry, or Joan Baez. It was simple, distinct, and a little timeless. My brother also called me “Avi” when we were little, so somewhere between that and Josephine, I felt like I’d found a roadmap tied to me. It was familiar enough to be human, but just removed enough to leave a room for a little mystery.

Flying Saucers | Debut Single

RELEASE / 01

Flying Saucers was my debut single as Jo Avelin, released December 31, 2025. In March 2026, TIDAL independently selected the song for its editorial Indie Circus: Best New Tracks. The playlist placement was unsolicited and separate from the Headliners program through which I had originally uploaded the release. TIDAL awarded me $1,000 in connection with the selection, and the track appeared alongside artists including Modest Mouse, Laura Marling, Broken Social Scene, Mitski, and Kim Gordon.

Keepsake | My first full-length record

ARTIST PROJECT / 01

I’m in the process of making my debut album, Keepsake, an 11-song collection written over several years of change, grief, attachment, and letting go. Many of these songs began as intimate demos recorded alone in my bedroom. I’m now working to give them the depth and life I’ve always imagined through professional production, live instrumentation, and collaboration with musicians here in Oregon.

Songwriting is how I learned to make sense of nuance and the things I can’t always articulate in real time. Keepsake is my personal drawer of experience, filled with what remains after something has ended. It’s rooted in the objects, memories, habits, and versions of ourselves we carry long after the circumstances around them have changed.

This record feels like the first time I’ve been able to bring my songwriting, voice, and artistic world together in one complete body of work. In many ways, making Keepsake is finally giving shape to things I’ve carried with me for years. I’m excited to build it alongside musicians and creative collaborators I trust, and to finally give these songs a home outside of myself.