Kieran Webber
Director and Founder of CLUNK Magazine, CLUNK Events, and other CLUNK affiliate businesses. You’ll probably find me tucked away somewhere sending emails, listening to music, and creating content.
Brooklyn, NY based artist Anna Josephine chats to us about her new single ‘Care At All’, her whirlwind 2024, and more
Love is one of the strongest emotions we can feel and sometimes it’s put in the wrong place. In her latest single ‘Care At All’, Anna Josephine articulates this feeling and emotion brilliantly. It’s a relatable song that is a masterclass in songwriting, showcasing Anna’s ability to make music that resonates with fans new and old.
We caught up with her off the back of this release to chat about the new song, how she crafts her music, and much more.
Kieran: Hey Anna, thank you for taking the time to chat with us! How have you been?
Anna: I’m great! Busy as ever working 3 jobs to afford making music but it’s all worth it. I’ve been working on building out my band and writing new music, so all things to be grateful for.
Kieran: How’s your 2024 treating you so far? Any highs? Any lows?
Anna: 2024 has been a whirlwind. I’ve done a lot of traveling – which is such an important activity for me. A high for me was getting nominated for a Hollywood Independent Music Award for my song, “Oh, Joan.” Making music can feel like so much effort for long periods of little payout, so all those little checkpoints and reassurances mean the world to me. A low was having my first show in LA scheduled during the Super Bowl, which I did not realize in advance. I never mind playing to an empty room, it’s part of the process, but I definitely felt like I had boofed it there.
Kieran: So, how did you get into music and at what point did you know that you wanted to start releasing it into the wild?
Anna: I’ve been playing music for as long as I can remember. I was in piano lessons from age 5-10, musical theater starting at age 8, and started playing guitar when I was in middle school. In high school, I took 3 years of choir and was always posting covers of songs on YouTube. I always wanted to pursue music, but it never really felt feasible or realistic until I had left college. After graduating, I never really wanted any of the jobs that I was applying for, and I always kind of felt like I was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. After a few years of what felt like floundering and wanting to apply myself towards my career as a musician, I got my heart broken (yay!) and wrote a song about it. Producing it and releasing it into the wild was one of the most affirming experiences I’d ever had, and from there I devoured any piece of music business information I could get my hands on.
Kieran: Did you have any artists, people, or bands influence your sound?
Anna: So many! Right now I’m loving Hazlett and Sierra Ferrell. I have a modern-indie-folk sound that borrows a lot of inspiration from Irish folk music/bluegrass and incorporates modern production. But I continue to evolve my sound – I love the idea that I don’t need to be pigeon-holed into one genre – so my influences are always evolving as well.
Kieran: You recently released your latest single ‘Care At All’, can you talk us through this release and what it means to you?
Anna: The whole EP I’m releasing is about the ways in which I have self-sacrificed in my relationships, whether for good or for bad. I find myself in spaces where I am overly accommodating of other people and end up resigning parts of myself and my own emotional well-being. I give and give and give in relationships, so the people I was with would naturally take, leaving me with little space for my own emotions. I don’t think their actions were malicious, and I certainly have some learning to do about upholding my own boundaries, but it’s still not a fun dynamic to find yourself in. This song also marks a new era for my musical sound. My first EP was very traditionally folk and heavy on the fiddle, and this is the first song that has come out with a bit more modern take on the production and instrumentation. I’m excited to see where the music heads.
Listen to ‘Care At All’ here:
Kieran: It’s a very personal song, yet relatable. Have you always written so honestly?
Anna: I’d say yes. Before I started releasing my songs, writing music was a form of therapy for me that I sort of just kept for myself, so I never had to worry about the vulnerability of writing so honestly. Also, it’s a little counterintuitive, but the more specifically I write about my own life, the more people resonate and relate to it.
Kieran: Can you explain to us your writing and recording processes please?
Anna: I’m literally always writing things down. My notes app is my best friend. My brain is always on and always processing my surroundings and experiences in real time, so I’ve gotten into a habit of writing down anything I’m thinking through at the moment. From there I’ll usually set aside time to write, during which I’ll do a sensory deep dive on that one fleeting thought. My longtime friend, producer, and collaborator, Carter Soso, then helps me refine the songs before we get them into the studio. We record out of his home studio in Burbank. The familiarity of that really helps me feel comfortable and safe in the writing and recording process.
Kieran: Lastly, what else can we expect from you in 2024?
Anna: More music! I’ve got releases scheduled through November, and then off to Burbank again to record more music. I’ve also recently started doing Tiny Bodega Concerts out of my neighborhood in Brooklyn; they’re so fun to record and a great way to get out into the community. So definitely check those out on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram…wherever.
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