I had the honour of interviewing UK based artist, Anu, all about his EP release, ‘In This Heart’.
Inspired by artists such as Anthony & The Johnsons, The Irrepressibles, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead and Melancholia, Anu exudes a sense of passion of life, love and art.. His music is an expression of his inner self.
“We are beauty, waiting to be realized” – ANU
Anu’s debut EP release, ‘In This Heart’, was created as a collaboration between Anu and pianist, Edd Sargisson.. The strings arrangements in the EP were created in collaboration with Paulina Livingston and played by Brookspeare Music.
The creation of the EP was a heartfelt inspiration found in the meeting of a muse by the name of Ellowen and is about a realisation of higher love.
“I actually approached the producer of my debut EP to record some covers together, I had no intention of writing and recording an album, literally as soon as we started working together the songs began pouring out of us… Also due to a ‘chance’ meeting with a girl online who became my muse for this debut EP.”
The tracks are filled with beautiful and emotive instrumentation, combined with the stunningly warm vocals of Anu and will take you to a true place of introspection within yourself.
You can listen to ‘In This Heart’ below:
Would you like to start by telling us a little about yourself?
I was born in Essex, initiated into adulthood through psychedelic exploration & a constant need to experience myself in new ways, I spent 15 years working and training in various therapeutic fields (most of them alternative streams) before finally realizing that I wasn’t primarily put on this planet to help people, I was put here to make art and if people get helped through my expression of art then great but helping others is a byproduct of me living my truth, not a duty.
Art is service enough.
What was it that first inspired you to begin a career in music?
To be totally honest I am not sure yet I have really begun a career in Music.
I don’t feel totally grounded in this new stream just yet, I am not sure if this EP can happen again, I think I will feel more relaxed in the idea of ‘being an artist’ once my second album is released and its at least as good as the debut EP.
Then I can feel like something consistent is happening. I can however share that I have always loved music.
When I was a teen the two major motifs in all of my dreaming were war and being on stage singing.
I did actually study Popular Music for a year when I was 18 in Manchester but then I lost my virginity and turned into a Goth temporarily, it would be 22 years later that I return to Music seriously for the first time.
How would you describe the feel of your music?
Ethereal, Cinematic, Melancholic, Poetic, Light, Powerful.
Are all words which seem to be showing up quite regularly in the feedback we are getting from curators and fans.
To answer your question directly, it feels very vulnerable to me and I am actually nervous about the idea of performing it live.
I did challenge myself to face this fear by busking the EP on the streets of Berlin a few months ago, which definitely helped.
You have recently released your EP, ‘In This Heart’.. what was the inspiration behind the creation of this EP?
The stars aligned in surprising ways.
I met the young genius producer Edd Sargission on a Norwich Musicians Facebook group and at the same time I was starting to connect with an Irish Witch called Ellowen online who was living in New Zealand, during the time of lockdowns.
Most of the songs were heavily inspired by what I was experiencing within myself in relation to her.
Usually I would have fallen into a love addicted state of thinking I had met ‘the one’ and then crashed into a wall somewhere and hurt myself, however this time I decided to carve my way through this darkness with music and in that process I realized that there is no ‘one’.
I am the one for me. I am the love that I seek, this is what this EP is about. Love and surrendering to life and death.
What do the songs on the EP mean to you?
Each song is a different aspect of the same inner movement I was experiencing in the creative process, one of letting go of longing for anything or anyone beyond myself.
What did the creative process look like for your EP?
I was having occasional contact with Ellowen online, weekly Somatic sessions to help me process the difficult feelings that were getting triggered in me and was writing and recording with Edd for 2 days per week for 6 weeks.
So all in all it took us about 70 hours to write and record this EP.
However getting the strings on one track was another story all together and took about 8 months.
Where do you find your inspiration for your music?
I am not sure I find it anywhere, it finds me.
In 2017 you appeared on the voice in Turkey.. would you like to tell us a little about this experience?
Another beautiful story. Life is so full of beautiful stories isn’t it?
I went to Istanbul in Turkey with the intention to live there for awhile, I had a dream before I left to go there that I was being called to sing in Istanbul, I thought this might mean joining the muezzin for call to prayer or something more obvious but it seems life has a sense of humour.
A good friend of mine was working on that show and she called me up late one night saying she just had this amazing idea that I need to apply now!
It so happened her cousin was the big boss so of course they let me on the show but they wouldn’t let me sing Hallelujah Jeff Buckley style or Radiohead, they wanted me to sing ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ so in a kind of silent rebellion I changed some of the lyrics to highlight the empowerment of women but I don’t think anyone noticed😊
What would you like to see happen for you in your music from here?
That I continue being able to write songs that are authentically rising out of me, that I meet the right musicians and producers to collaborate with and that my art becomes a deeper expression of the truth that burns inside my heart and I would love to play on Jooles Holland at some point.
I have been watching that show since Radiohead were on in 1998.
What is one message you would like to share with your fans?
Be yourself no matter what and if anyone doesn’t like it then just smile and leave them to their misery.
Where can people find your music?
Spotify primarily but you can find all streaming services on my website also www.a-n-u.art
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.