Anna Wolf ready to claim space as complex and compelling artist with Romance was Born
Anna Wolf is ready to claim her space as a complex, compelling, globally relevant artist with her new EP, Romance was Born.
The five-track release eludes easy classification, with the South African-born, London-based artist moving with conviction through music that is dramatic and orchestral (Dreaming Again), hushed and textured (Can I Get High on You?), visceral and kinetic (Heaven Breathes Out) and other-worldly and rhythmic (Vegas).
Available on all streaming platforms from 30 July 2021, Romance was Born includes first single, Gong, which was released earlier in 2021. Together with its accompanying video, the song earned critical acclaim for its moody, dark and unforgettable sound and visuals.
Indeed, it’s this combination of her singular music with different elements of artistic expression that ensures Wolf stands out; that enables her to inhabit the worlds of both conceptual art and pop, with her songs ready to transport listeners, fill the dance floor and climb the charts.
“In so many ways my creativity starts from a visual impulse that then starts fluttering through the music,”
says Wolf.
“The songs on the EP contain imagery and stories that surfaced within me and found expression in, first my demos, and then with Matthew (Fink) who is truly like a wizard in the studio.”
Already the songs on Romance was Born have been earmarked for inclusion in a feature film which will simultaneously see Wolf taking on her first significant acting role.
The next single, Can I Get High On You? has been transmuted into a video that is the most visually stimulating work Wolf has ever produced - its extraordinarily affecting visuals echoing the push and pull that is the signature of her song writing and acting as a shortcut into the intimate world that Wolf is creating and evolving.
The song was produced by Matthew Fink and tells the tale of a toxic relationship and how one’s mind can get webbed in patterns of thoughts. By using the perfect amount of movement through instrumentation, Anna explains that Matthew knew what this body of work would require.
In the music video, produced by South African director Christell de Wet (KLAK), we see Anna gasping for air and out of the murky water a swan appears to be born out of Anna’s mouth. The grace and white feathers of the swan represents new life, the change that death brings and the gratitude that one experiences when loss is felt.
Throughout her artistic incarnations – including the award-winning Tailor – Wolf has mined a thrilling visual and sensory world. It’s no surprise that her songs, among them Shaped Like A Gun and Wolf, have been the inspiration for choreographers on shows like So You Think You Can Dance (USA) and are utterly transporting when performed live by this accomplished musician.
Her song writing itself has earned Wolf international acclaim, including seeing her become the first South African to win Unsigned Only’s Grand Prize in 2019 for the song Believer. Wolf beat out almost 6 000 entries from more than 100 countries worldwide to be named the winner by a judging panel that included Garth Hudson (The Band), Taj Mahal, Aimee Mann, O.A.R., Sanctus Real, Bow Wow, Boney James, Ruthie Foster, and Robert Smith (The Cure)
Although constrained by pandemic times, Wolf is already eyeing a set of festivals and solo shows as the world opens up to live music again. Among these is Colours of Ostrava (Czechoslovakia, July 2022) and HOT VOX presents at Old Queens Head (London, 2 September 2021).
“I am excited about releasing this body of work into the world,”
says Wolf.
“It was made in a state of presence, with no expectations, and that helped me manifest the songs. But it was also created with real intention - and that is to create music that connects the dots for other humans.
I want my music to give artistic shape to all of our life’s journeys, which are not fixed. I aim to get to heart of the story, to seek the truth and to manifest authenticity and I am excited about people joining me on this journey – whether for the first time or with those who have been with me through its unfolding.”
Romance was Born is now available on all digital platforms.
