New York-raised R&B singer Annalise Azadian has a bright future ahead of her. The Bronx-based music phenomenon has been doing music ever since she can remember, playing instruments like the piano before ultimately finding her signature raspy, emotive voice and poetic storytelling abilities.
In 2020, Annalise released her critically-acclaimed EP Six Weeks to $even. Using the project as an emotional outlet and way of expressing herself, the 7-track portrait gives fans alike a deeper dive into one of the most spirited artists coming out of NY. A standout cut from the project, “BOGU$,” propelled into viral success as one of her most successful songs to date. It affirmed that Annalise was on the right path and laid the groundwork for her latest single “Life of the Party.” If you’re looking for an artist to bet on, look no further, Annalise Azadian is someone you want to keep an eye on.
We had the opportunity to chat with Annalise Azadian in regards to developing her musical talents, the one-year anniversary of her Six Weeks of $even, and her new song “Life of the Party.” Read below!
Tell me about your childhood, did you grow up surrounded by music? How did you discover your talent for songwriting and develop your expressive vocals?
Yeah! I’ve always loved music when I was young, my mom was always playing Alicia Keys in the house. I started playing guitar when I was 10 years old and around 14, I started playing the piano. I started to play these shows after school and between basketball practice, and I saw that people actually liked what I did then I started taking it seriously as a career. Now I’m 23 and yeah, I’ve been doing it for years and it’s been a good journey.
I believe upon first look, because of all the colors you incorporate into your image, people might mistake you for a Pop artist but you’re very much R&B and Soul. Tell me how your love for the genre came to be.
Thank you! I get that a lot, people always say I look different than I sound. But I think it’s fun because you never know what you get. I love Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Hayley Williams from Paramore, and just soulful women especially. I really like to write with a story to tell.
It’s almost been a since the release of your EP, Six Weeks of $even. What was your favorite memory from working on the project?
I totally forgot about it. I love that project because I was just going through a lot of things in the industry business-wise so I had to find what felt good to me at the time. So I went in the studio for six weeks and create this body of work, then release it and not really think about it. The song “Bogus” hit my most plays ever, reaching over two million so it was a present surprise. It told what I was going through at the time and it was really like a journal for me.
In your opinion, how much have you evolved since then, and how does it set the tone for what you have coming?
I feel like I’ve grown as a person and musically. I’m just figuring myself out more as I get older and just being in the industry and seeing what it comes with. Just rolling with the punches. The pandemic was a weird time for the world so with outside being open again, I’m excited to see this next era of time.
What does a typical studio session look like for you?
It changes, those sessions back then were just me and my producer. Really small and intimate sessions, I burry myself to the corner and write. Everything I write is pretty vulnerable and it’s pretty personal to me. Now I can go into studio sessions and they’ll be tons of people and I kind of have to navigate with whatever atmosphere I’m in. I like to write with the guitar or piano but now it’s just adapting to beats of any type of genre.
Tell us a bit about your latest single, “Life of the Party.” What is the story behind the song and what was the creative process like?
I wrote it a year and a half ago and it started on this soulful, funky type of beat. I think I did not too long after Six Weeks of $even. When I got in talks of Sony and The Orchard, they loved it so they took the hook and the beat then flipped it into this dance, pop type of record. At first, I was a bit skeptical because I never wanted to be a pop artist. It turned out cool and I really love the video that I go to do and play around the title and them of the song. Shooting the video was fun, I had all my friends come out.
Can you share any plans you have for the rest of the year?
I’m super excited! I’ve been working on music with Swagg, and I know that good things are around the corner.
If you enjoyed our interview with Annalise Azadian, check out our chat with Zhavia!
