Babyfangs 'Prima Bella Donna' Video Shot At Unkempt Victorian Mansion

(CCM) Memphis born LA musician Babyfangs is excited to share her new single "Prima Bella Donna" along with a bewitching music video shot within the confines of an ornate but unkempt Victorian mansion, worn by time and left in the care of a mysterious black cat.

The setting fits perfectly with the song and Babyfangs' Southern Gothic aesthetic, with vocals that seem to call out to the listener from a distant past. Sharing deep dark secrets not meant for temporal beings. The lyrics says Babyfangs (Ava Wilson), "subtly delves into queer relationships I had as a young teenager. Using poisonous flowers as metaphors for the toxic relationships I endured during those years."

Babyfangs has felt a connection to nature and animals for as long as she can remember, drawing comparisons to a real life Snow White from family and friends who've witnessed wild animals practically hop in her lap or alight upon her shoulder without coaxing. She grew up spending the summers catching frogs and playing with the rabbits and foxes that inhabited the overgrown abandoned 3 acre lot next to her grandmother Mimi's house, and at one point tamed a wild sparrow she named Bread (named after its favorite treat). The natural world's sublime influence and inherent mysticism is pervasive throughout Babyfang's music. From the awe inspiring power of a summer thunderstorm storm racing east over the Mississippi River, to the incomprehensible beauty in the pink and orange golden hour cloud banks that inevitably follow one.

It was her grandmother Mimi that Babyfangs also credits with introducing her to music. "Mimi showed me all kinds of music, including classical and opera, and she saw how interested I was in it," she shares. In her Mimi's front entryway was a beautiful old grand piano, and by age 4 she'd already begun to learn to play by ear, mimicking the records Mimi would put on the turntable. Her grandmother's favorite song was "O Mio Babbino Caro" from the opera Gianni Schicchi, and it was one of the first songs Babyfangs learned to play. "As I got older I continued to play for Mimi, showing her songs I had learned that she loved, or songs that I had written myself," she recalls. "I think it was this love, validation, and admiration that gave me the confidence to pursue this music dream of mine."

Music has been a steadying force for Babyfangs ever since. An anchor to fall back upon in difficult times. And at no other time in her life to date was its value and importance to her more apparent than during her stay at the Utah treatment center, where as she puts it, she coped with the situation by "making music my girlfriend." With good behavior she'd earn privileges or "privs" as they were called by the staff and residents, and then use those "privs' to buy time with the guitar and piano the facility had on site. "I would write on these instruments and sing to myself as a way to comfort myself," says Babyfangs. Other residents started to take comfort in her songs too, and would listen in as she wrote and played. "I think seeing my music moving people and helping them get through tough situations made me want to do this for the rest of my life."

It would be a year before Babyfangs was able to escape the center, but when she finally left, she was more determined to follow her dreams of making music than ever. And in the time since she has channeled her lived experiences into beautiful, emotionally resonant compositions. At 19 she moved to Los Angeles after originally considering going cross state to Nashville. "I found myself more drawn to LA," she shares, especially after she began collaborating with producer Adam Castilla. "I also really wanted to get out of the south, as it kinda felt like I was stuck in a bubble there." And so she took a leap of faith, one she credits her Mimi for instilling in her the strength to do so. "I just think that I would never have been able to pursue this dream if it wasn't for my grandmother, she shares. "She's been a constant support for me since day one. I am forever grateful for her."

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