Alt-rock artist AVATARI just released a pop-rock anthem focused on the power of human connection into a world that could use some. Accompanied by a lyric video that delivers a fair dose of dreamy nostalgia, “Saturday Night” recalls the magic and freedom of Summer love complete with roller-skates, blue skies, and ferris wheels. 

Born Ari Welkom, AVATARI combined his childhood nickname “Ari Atari” and “avatar”, the Hindu word for the manifestation of the incarnate divine, to represent his most free, real, and powerful self as suits his purpose of delivering a message of peace, love, togetherness, and empowerment. 

If he seems familiar to you, you may have caught AVATARI under his given name in pursuit of his other passion, acting. He has appeared on a number of network television shows such as “The Rookie”, “The Middle”, and the long running daytime soap opera “Days of Our Lives” and had a role in the mystery thriller “Brick” directed starring Joseph Gordon Levitt. 

The actor/solo-artist told PopWrapped that he’s stopped wondering which passion (acting or music) he was meant to pursue and how his favorite jobs are when music and acting intersect. One such convergence happened when starring in a Rolls-Royce ad campaign that featured his song “Legacy” and another when he was cast as a John Cougar Mellencamp impersonator in ABC’s “The Middle”. He also loves acting in his own music videos and says, “music and film combined is the ultimate for me.”

AVATARI admits, however, that music can be the easier path to follow since he can grab his guitar and write without having to wait on a job. He says,“With music I have more control over creating opportunities, I love that part of it.”

You can now watch “Saturday Night” on Youtube or stream it on Spotify.