We had the good fortune of connecting with Annie Anna and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Annie, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I can’t imagine my life without music being part of it. To me, music is such a rich source of emotion and is what adds the most color to my days, and I naturally find myself drawn to spending a lot of time listening to it or creating it myself. Pursuing music as a career is what enables me to share my art with others and hopefully add some color to their lives while connecting with them over experiences and emotions. While it’s not quite a full career at this point in time (I have an engineering job as well), it’s definitely the work that brings me the most fulfillment.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a singer-songwriter currently based out of Tucson, and I make music that blends the genres of indie folk and rock with hints of country, pop, and blues. I’m influenced by many artists, but my biggest influences are artists like Hozier, Fleetwood Mac, Matt Maeson, and Shakey Graves.
I’ve been involved in music ever since I was a little kid, and I grew up inspired by my father, who is also a singer-songwriter and guitarist. I wasn’t initially drawn to the spotlight of performing, but I have always had a very deep connection with music, and I always knew that I wanted to create it. I’ve always been a singer and have worked on honing that skill since I could talk, but I didn’t get involved with playing instruments until I started taking piano lessons. Over the years, I also learned how to play drums, and I eventually picked up a guitar and started teaching myself how to play it. Since then, I’ve worked my way up from being a coffee shop musician doing solo sets to playing bigger venues with a full band. In terms of recording, I now have seven singles under my belt, two of which I have produced, and I’ve got more in the works. And as of July of this year, I am now the owner of an LLC for my music.
Getting to this point was not easy, and it still isn’t easy to sustain. Being an introvert by nature, it took a lot of work and years of performing for me to get to the point of being comfortable on stage. Even though I’ve grown to enjoy the spotlight while performing, I still have to challenge myself to grow in other ways that are critical to being a musician now, like filming myself and creating content for social media. The business side of music was not something I took very seriously until fairly recently, so there’s a lot of trial and error to figure out what works in terms of promoting myself. I’m slowly getting the hang of it, but it can be very mentally draining at times to put a lot of effort into a post or song promotion and have it get very little traction. Pushing through that is something I struggle with every day.
The biggest lessons I’ve learned are that the best way to get over your fear of something is to just do it, and that there are always going to be people who are critical of your art, and sometimes they are very vocal about it. Sharing music you’ve created can be a very vulnerable thing, so it can be hard to hear someone say that they think your music is “mediocre”. You have to learn to remind yourself that art is subjective and that it is not for everyone, and that’s perfectly okay. Keep your head up and keep going, and eventually you will reach people who love what you do.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
To me, Tucson is a bit of a hidden gem, and I always enjoy getting to show people what it has to offer. One of my favorite things about Tucson is the abundance of beautiful, outdoor scenery just outside of the city. For a more adventurous hike, I would recommend doing Seven Falls (preferably when there’s water, of course). For shorter hikes, Catalina State Park and Sweetwater Preserve are great. If they’re up for a drive, one of my favorite hikes on Mt. Lemmon is Sunset Trail (you can also stop at The Cookie Cabin for a giant cookie when you’re done).
Because I’m a huge coffee person, I always have to take visitors to some of the coffee shops in town. Two of my favorites are Exo Coffee and Presta. I’m also big into cocktails, and there are plenty of cool spots to grab a drink in Tucson. Some of my favorites are Barbata, Owls Club, Westbound, and Sidecar. As for food, Tucson has a ton of very solid options for just about any price point. For cheap food, you can stop by just about any taco truck or shop and the food will be amazing. For something nicer, Tito and Pep, Maynard’s, and The Coronet are all great options. For brunch, hands-down my favorite spot is 5 Points.
If you’re into shopping or just looking to get a few souvenirs, MSA Annex has a lot of unique shops (Why I Love Where I Live is one of my favorites). There are also a lot of neat shops on 4th Ave like Pop Cycle and 440 & Co (their candles smell amazing).
Lastly, Tucson has a lot of cool museums for just about any flavor of history fanatic. For general knowledge about the Sonoran Desert, The Desert Museum is an awesome way to spend a morning. If you’re into aerospace, the Pima Air & Space Museum has a great collection of aircraft, and The Titan Missile Museum is pretty fascinating. Biosphere II is also very interesting and is a great choice.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people deserve recognition, but to keep it concise: My parents for their unwavering support over the years, my friends and fans who encourage me to keep creating, and my musical collaborators for helping me turn my vision into a reality. I really don’t think I could do it without the support!
Website: https://www.annieannamusic.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annieannamusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annieannamusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0RS9VNCsO5wfF0LflzAfjw
Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0v4NLeXUPlfWN6jmO79prv
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/annie-anna/1443680670
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@annieannamusic
Image Credits
Kerry Whelan, Nick Rodell