Anna Thompson
I am very happy about this interview and this release. Anna Thompson is an artist I am super excited about. When I heard her song “Dreams About Him” for the first time, I was surprisingly amazed by the amount of talent. Her voice is insanely incredible. It is soulful and powerful and this is what caught my attention in the first place. “Dreams About Him” is catchy, colorful and combines elements of pop and r&b music.
Anna Thompson is also revealing her debut EP Centerpiece today and I’m proud to get to feature such an amazing project on my blog. Centerpiece offers a great introduction to her sound and it perfectly highlights her incredible vocals and her stunning songwriting. Anna Thompson is definitely an artist to watch.
Go stream Centerpiece out now :)
Photo credit: Gemma Cross
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I’ve been lucky enough to always know what I wanted to do with my life. I started doing theatre at the age of 5, and gained a lot of audition, and performance experience. At age 11, I became a student at the School of Rock when a location opened in Bellevue WA, near where I live. At first I hated it, but I ended up falling in love with rock music and continued to perform with them till age 17. My junior year of highschool, I got the attention of a major record label, and worked with them for a bit over a year. It didn’t end up working out, but it gave me recording experience and the ultimate crash course on how the industry functions. In December of 2020, I finally released my first record independently, Get Me High and haven’t stopped since.
What did you grow up listening to?
I grew up listening to a variety of music. My parents took me to lots of shows; my first being AC/DC in 2008. I loved rock music, but my earliest inspirations in pop were Katy Perry, 3oh!3, and Ke$ha.
When did you know you could sing?
I’ve been singing my entire life. I don’t recall a moment where I really knew I could, but I always knew I loved it and that it was the only thing I wanted to do with my life.
Growing up, what were your favorite songs to sing along to?
Two albums come to mind. I had The Best Damn Thing by Avril Lavigne, and Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna downloaded to my computer. I’d search up the lyrics, and print them all out so I could memorize and sing all the songs.
What gave you the confidence to be an artist and release your original music?
I’ve never been confident in my writing, and always just considered myself a “vocalist” as opposed to a songwriter. I started sharing my original music on TikTok, and people really enjoyed it. The attention I was getting from that was what pushed me to release my debut single, Get Me High.
How would you define Anna Thompson, the artist?
The persona I’ve given myself in my music is a reflection of the image I dreamt of having as a child. It’s a very dramatized version of myself. It’s as “popstar” as I can get. Quite the opposite of what I’m like in my personal life. The stories my music tells through the modern production and shiny auto-tuned pop vocals are what give it personality. The lyrics are real, and express things I experience.
Photo credit: Gemma Cross
You've just released your debut EP Centerpiece - how's it feel like to release your first project?
I feel a sense of relief knowing I’m finally able to put out a body of work that I wrote by myself, that I’m proud of. The fact that I was able to do this all independently gives me another sense of pride as well.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this EP? Who helped you create it?
Writing this project was easy. It wrote itself, practically. It’s all about one person. Each song is a different experience I had with him. My feelings were so inspiring. He’s the “Centerpiece” of the whole project. I wrote each song by myself in my bedroom with my piano. Last Summer, I had the opportunity to connect with an incredible group of local artists and producers. This project wouldn’t’ve been possible without them. I played Telepathically on the piano for Alex Olsen (fluencie) and he was into it. I cut the vocal a capella, and left the room. Within a few hours, Alex, Wyatt Morrisson, (swshr) Evan Rendes, (daym) and Phillip Peterson had finished the production. I was so impressed with their work and continued to work with Alex, Wyatt and Phil on several records on the EP. Jake Crocker, who I’ve known for several years now also took his hand on production for 3 of the records.
What different topics are you talking about on this EP?
The entire project is a love story. It describes reconnecting with an ex, trying to keep things casual at first, but gradually becoming more serious.
What did you feel when writing "Dreams About Him"?
“Dreams About Him is the catalyst to the whole EP. I wrote Dreams About Him after having several recurring dreams about an ex-boyfriend of mine that I hadn’t spoken to in several years. I was in a relationship that I wasn’t very happy in at the time, so I wrote this song to cope with the guilt I felt about my subconscious being tainted with another person. Mere days after writing the song, said ex-boyfriend DM’d me on Instagram. I didn’t open it for months, but once my relationship ended, I replied, and we reconnected. I wrote the rest of the EP about us reconnecting- us progressing from casually talking again, being in a serious relationship with each other.
What did you learn about yourself after finishing this EP?
At the time I began writing this EP, I was miserable. By the time I’d started recording it, I’d made changes to the people in my life, and felt so much more free. I became the happiest I’d ever been. This project is a reflection of that. Everything just fell into place, and I realized my worth and how much time I’d been wasting on people and things that didn’t make me happy.
What's your goal for this project?
My goal for this project is to give people songs they enjoy, and can relate to. It’s always such a relieving feeling when you find a song that describes exactly how you feel. I hope people find that in Centerpiece.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
The industry today is so social media oriented. It makes things both easier, and harder to succeed. On one hand, it provides artists with an excellent tool, as they can be completely independent and self-sustaining by growing a following by themselves. On the other hand, though, if artists have great music but aren’t as savvy on socials, it prevents them from being able to succeed. I understand why labels are more attracted to artists with followings, as they have numeric proof of their potential regardless of how good or bad the music is. However, I sometimes wish radio wasn’t so saturated with “TikTok” hits and labels cared more about discovering and developing talent.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
I’ve learned that comparing myself to others is a waste of time. Staying focused on myself and not being discouraged by other peoples numbers has left me most content, and my music the most authentic.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
The world would be a better place if people had more general regard for everybody else. Being kind to people, and the world we live in.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
Go to therapy.
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