It’s been quite a long time that I have decided to start this blog back up but I thought why not start with an artist I have had the pleasure of getting to know the past three years & consider a friend, Anna Daley Young.
I first heard Anna perform back in 2022 when another musician friend of mine, Lainey Dionne, was sponsoring a Music Showcase for her artist friends at Galactic Theatre in Warren, RI. That was the first time I heard Anna’s music & more importantly watched how she commanded the stage with her natural ability to captivate her audience with her exuberant personality and in that moment, I knew I had to work with her in some capacity, to help her advance her career any way possible.
I spoke with Anna a few months ago before she made a big decision in her life to work on her music on the West Coast, this is what she had to say.
Q: You’ve been working on your second album in California, talk about the journey of making music on the West Coast & the difference between there & home and the positive impact it has had on your life.
Anna: A change of scenery completely reinvented my art, direction, songwriting and goals. And diversified the people playing on this album, part of my album is being recorded on the West Coast and the other half in the East. The songs and visuals will represent both coasts.
There are so many differences, in the west, the environment is more relaxed, and the producers are closer to my age. For the majority of the sessions I have attended, I’m singing/playing my songs in their house studios. And back home, anytime I record in the east, I am on specific timing, there’s a proper process and goal, and usually we have invited session players…but in the west, it feels like we are just hanging in the home studio making magic.
Michelle Packman and I connected in Boston when she was on tour, she is arranging string sections for some of the songs. She invited me to her home in Bel Air, where I met other producers who all live in the same Bel Air 4 floor mansion. Michelle has done so much for me and I feel that she understands me and my music deeply. She added a euphoric, ethereal sound to the project.
Q: If I were to say to you, Who is Anna Daley Young & why should I listen to her music?
Anna: In college, my professor asked this exact question, “Who are you?” and I scribbled down something quick.
“I’m the daughter of a man in a rock and roll band, a spirit put into a 24 year old body, an old soul, what I am cannot be put into words.”
In all honesty, I would say, I don’t fully know. I think that’s the whole point of making art/writing songs and being an artist in general, to slowly find who you truly are. This next album feels like I’m stepping into something. And if you’re curious about my journey/ride or music evolution, then that’s why you should listen. If you’re a young person or artist with a dream, and you want to see how another young girl from Boston did it, then that’s why you should listen. I am a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but what I do know is who I started to become as of late feels authentic. Everything in my world became a lot better, more clear, when I started to follow my heart.
Q: Newly released single & video for My Radio… Tell us more about the lyrics behind the song & the making of the video.
Anna: The song is about listening to music and feeling happy in the car. It’s a song I wrote with a little girl I was giving lessons to on the south shore. And it’s dedicated to my old car, Delilah, which had a haunted radio. She was always tuning in and out of stations at particular times, and it just so happens that we used the car as a prop in the video, and then she was totaled a week later and then the song was released. Crazy timing. We shot the music video on Rexhame Beach Marshield, MA.
📸 Steph Larsen Photo
Q: Talk about your support system & the positive impact they’ve had on your life.
Anna: My family funded my first album and my dad taught me how to play guitar when I was little, so growing up, I had an abundance of instruments around me and a lot of support. Many of my childhood memories consisted of playing and singing in the basement. I had a little karaoke system that I’d sing High School Musical and Kidz Bop on.
When I first started out, I could count on one hand how many fans I had. I knew every person, all their names and recently there are people, who I don’t know, who have found me… it’s a really cool feeling.
Sometimes when I am having a bad day, or if I am going through a hard period, someone will compliment my playing or give me a nice note and tip and it will bring me right back up. Singing and performing live is not only my career but it is what helps me hold on when I am feeling low.
Q: Name an artist that inspires you and why?
Anna: Susan Tedeschi, she’s the best female guitarist I’ve ever seen, and she is also a really nice person. I got the opportunity to get close with her family and meet her at a show. She inspired me to continue to get better at guitar and always be a kind person at whatever level you aspire to.
Q: What are the last 5 songs you’ve added to your favorite music playlist?
Anna:
- Co-op – Bess Atwell
- Baby – Donnie and Joe Emerson
- Rivera Paradise – Stevie Ray Vaughan
- California – The Lagoons
- As Good As it Gets – Katie Gavin feat Mitski
Q: What do you do for fun when not writing music and performing?
Anna: I like to go to the beach and run, paint, journal and lately I’ve been going to the library, I’m a grandma 😂
Q: I’ve always thought you had a great sense of style.. how important is fashion to you and has it influenced your performances at all?
Anna: Thank you. I’ve come to realize that fashion/modeling and dressing up is a part of the art form for me. And the creatives I’ve met in the modeling industry (designers, photographers, stylists, videographers) are usually the people I end up collaborating with for my musical projects/performances. It’s been nice having the two careers run parallel to one another. In the next chapter/album, you will see much more elaborate costume, makeup and hair, it’s an art that I want to keep incorporating into performances like Chappell Roan. How I initially got into modeling was by meeting up with some of my hometown friends who were also photographers. We would bring a bunch of clothing, fun outfits and make up and just take cool pictures. I love fashion, i love Vogue magazine, all the top models. They’re fab, music and fashion are both in my mind a lot. I hope to have my own brand someday.
Q: What advice would you give yourself 5 years ago?
Anna: You are the source of value, and you can take it anywhere. Not one person is going to “make you”, it’s a journey, enjoy it and ride the wave.
Q: Where can fans find your music?
Anna: Any streaming platform.
Check out Anna’s channel here on Spotify Anna Daley Young Channel
Some of Anna’s accolades include:
Anna was honored as ‘Country Artist of the Year’ by the Boston Music Awards. Anna has shared stages with notable musicians such as Phillip Phillips, Rhett Miller and Chase Wright. Her performances have spanned prestigious venues and festivals across the West Coast, Southern states, and New England including appearances at The Levitate Music Festival, City Winery, The Hotel Cafe in LA, the ‘Down The Hatch’ Music Festival in North Carolina, and ‘Femme Fest’ in Boston, MA.
Thanks for taking the time to read, I am hoping to interview more artists that I believe you should be listening to. If you would like to recommend an artist I should interview, please send me an email at mewzickkismylife@gmail.com.
Music To Your Ears 