Presenting Ava Nicole Frances
I always wonder, when I listen to BIG voices, how they would sound singing a lullaby. Most of them don’t bother, preferring to steamroll over the audience with power, often hiding behind the sheer force of it all, and lots of people applaud it.
Ava Nicole’s second song at her Palm Cabaret debut was the iconic “When You Wish Upon a Star.” I used to watch Walt Disney only because I wanted to hear Jiminy Cricket sing that simple ballad at the end of every show. At 22, it is unlikely that Ava had the Cricket as her role model, but her voice captured those high notes with tenderness and sweet precision. And, with that, she stole my heart.
Ava Nicole believes in dreams and her shot on American Idol – imagine standing with 23 other finalists out of an original count of 70 thousand! Extraordinary, and while she didn’t win, she gained confidence and a world of experience she never would have had otherwise.
Her two dads were in the audience at The Palm, and Ava brought her band with her to Mexico. She added Vallarta’s finest percussionist, Hamlet CV, on drums, and Jared Garcia on bass guitar, to complement her violinist, pianist, and her boyfriend, who is a fine sax player.
With only a few days of Puerto Vallarta under her belt, she appeared at Mary Porter’s request at the fundraiser for the Vallarta Girls’ School, at Teatro Vallarta, donating her time with over a dozen other stars in Vallarta’s firmament. She also gave a brief recital a couple of days earlier, with Michael Ferreri on piano, for the girls at their school, and had a lively Q&A afterwards. The girls were entranced and encouraged, learning first-hand from a young woman only a few years older than them that dreams really can and do come true.
Bella Vox Foundation brought Ava Nicole Frances to Vallarta, and a happy room full of people at The Palm are grateful to David Sabella for that. It was clear that she had fallen in love with Puerto Vallarta and that will bounce right back to her.
Besides cabaret, Ava has been involved in film, acting, dance, photography, Children’s, and Musical Theatre. Through her autobiographical shows, she celebrates her adoptive dads’ Native American and Mexican heritage. I have read that Mexican Revolutionary hero Francisco ”Pancho” Villa is a relative of hers! ¡Viva!
It was as much of a joy to listen to Ava’s voice as I am sure it was for her to sing for us. Ava’s kind of youthful enthusiasm is age-related and cannot be faked, nor can it be revisited down the road, although many performers have tried. She is young, fresh, and has a lifetime ahead of her. It will be a marvel to see her in a year and again, ten years from now. She will always be a delight to follow and listen to, no matter which direction life takes her, and her expansive, expressive voice.
