Please tell our readers who you are and what you do?
Hi
I am ANA ANA, a Berlin electro pop artist and writer. I am one of those who are doing it all, the “mystical” multitasking one.
I first released ANA ANA in 2015 with a few ideas and one song which was called “Plastic Knife”. One year later, I started to go on stage and happily had a super great year. Together with my drumming giant Christoph, I played in different cities and even other countries. But I had an idea to follow …
The idea was to release 12 singles in 2017. Meaning one single per month. It did not really started in January, though – which was coming from the fact that one of the songs, a cover of a Lou Reed song, was featured on the CD of the German Rolling Stone magazine – well, it could have come worse. ?
The feature was encouraging me even more and I started to work. So far, most of the 12 songs were only in my head and I still had to write them down, play them into cubase and produce them. And I needed video material, cover art, marketing…
How do you do it all when you also have a job? To be honest, I still do not know how I am doing it, but I sill and even have a couple of hours of sleep each day ? I think the reality is that this is just love.
How would you describe your style and genre?
Everyone wants to be special, isn’t it?
But hell yeah, I am doing pop music and I am proud of it. As my music has some electronic vibes and I am basically producing it on my computer with the help of various electronical Instruments.. ANA ANA is best described as electro pop.
Who are your biggest influences and idols … and why? Do you have any idols? Are you a super fan of anyone? (Dead or alive, musician or non-musician)
I was raised in an environment with quite a mixture of musical interests. My mum and dad both listened to totally different musical genres and I would even say, anyhow they did not really like what the other one was listening to.
But it taught me to listen to a variety of genres, too and not to stick on any radio programm’s genre like many of my school mates did. I listened to Prince, Massive Attack but also No Doubt. One of my early personal favorites was Aaliyah. I was such a big fan that I was buying every single CD and single from the first money I got. But with the ages, my musical favors changed slightly and I turned from Metal, Rock and Grunge over to Jazz.
Today and due to my work, I am listening to a lot of music, artists and genres and I am always looking for the best recording productions, too! This is a second very big issue – no matter if you may like the band or its genre – sometimes (unfortunately) a great production can already generate a hit.
What´s new right now? What should our readers know about that is coming up from you?
I am still working on my 12 releases. The music video of my latest single “YOU GOT ME” which you can see here: http://www.ana-ana.me/videos/you-got-me/ just came out two weeks ago.
I am now working on my 8th release “KEY”. The release date is scheduled for Friday, 28th of July.
And I am also working for the great release show! ANA ANA will play in Auster Club (http://www.auster-club.com/) , Berlin on Sunday October 15th, 2017. You will find the link for the pre-sale and information on their website from July 31st, 2017 onwards. It will be amazing, including live video show and a fancy surprising act! Maybe even more goodies for the audience…. ?
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What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
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How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
Gigging is a huge topic – I think it always was and always will be for young artists.
I am doing it all by myself, meaning not only writing music and releasing it, but also doing a tiny bit of marketing, trying to bring ANA ANA to the audience and also trying to organize gigs.
You will always have the chance to play in tiny venues or bars – depending on the musical genre and setting of course. But at some point, it will not only satisfy you. You want more and with more experience, you think, you should get the possibility to play on bigger stages or as support act. Sometimes, artist or booker are searching for young and upcoming bands as supporters. But in most of the cases, you have to pay to play.
To be honest, I think that anyhow, it is a fucked up business. Because of course, if I have the money, I can play everywhere and with everyone I like. But if I don’t, I have to be successful to shine out of the mass.
Me personal, I am trying to risk as little as possible – because it is all coming from my private bank account and I really have to weigh every possibility with the other. So for example, rather doing a proper concert in a nice location or producing another music video?
An example: I was thinking about going on tour around Germany and wrote to several small clubs in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, Cologne. They all called up fees between 300 to 500 EUR per night, most including a bit of technic – besides one which was calling up a fee of even 900 EUR. All prices were excluding sound engineer, excluding backstage usage, excluding travel costs and stay of course.
Counting everything together, I would have landed at a price of around 5000 to 7000 EUR for 5 stops, but including rent of location, rent of a car, transporting cost, benzin, organisation of a sound engineer, paying for the video show, cheapest possibility to stay, producing a bit of merch, making of the postings… Does it even make sense for a small artist like me? How much do the tickets have to cost that it would make sense? And how many people could I even expect to come if I would not play in my main territory?
That is why in the end of the process, I came back to the idea to play a one single but exclusive show in Berlin only which will take place October 15th, 2017.
Keep one thing in mind:
I learnt that making music (if you are doing it as beloved hobby) can become exhausting, too. This results most of the times from missunderstandings. As musician, you always want to have better instruments, music programms and at the same time, you want to play live and you want to get attention.
You cannot get all things done immediately.
Music is a process. Music is a feeling. Music should be and come from love.
Do not let the business overtake.
So, my personal tip would be: Search for a good partner who is showing real interest and who can and wants to help you. This for sure, will just work from a certain stage on. Until then: Play in all of these small clubs and bars you know and get better!
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What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
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How do you promote yourself? Do you have any specific promotion tips for other musicians?
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We meet again in one year. What has changed?
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