Inspired #196 - Anise
Pop R&B songstress ANISE hits deep with her lush vocals and honest lyrical story telling with new single ‘Toulouse’ - she took a moment to talk to us about the inspirations behind her music.
Who are your top three musical inspirations?
This is an interesting one because I had pretty eclectic music tastes in my childhood. I grew up listening to a lot of 90s Pop and R&B and I sang with my high school jazz band. I of course adored the greats -Whitney, Mariah, Celine - and I'm of the Aaliyah, Destiny's Child, TLC generation. That said, my Haitian father (who spent his 20s in Toulouse) played a lot of grandiose French music at home: Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour. Or sometimes, I'd wake up to The Blue Danube blasting through our home speakers. So I've always been taken by the 'drama' in music.
Is there a certain film that inspires you?
I don't know about inspiring, but I love British rom-coms: Bend it Like Beckham, Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually. I'm deeply romantic, but also know too well the clumsy ups and downs of love. Sometimes we just gotta laugh at ourselves.
What city do you find the most inspiring?
Paris. Need I say more?
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
This fluctuates depending on the season I'm in. But right now, it's Elaine Welteroth. Peep her instagram if you're ready for your soul to be fed. She's my ultimate auntie. She has no idea who I am (or that I claim her as my auntie), but I'm hoping one day she will!
What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
I spent the late summer and fall of 2020 living in Toulouse, me a Black American woman, with my new boyfriend, a Lithuanian I met living in London the past two years. The song is very much about hope and crossing borders in what presently feels like an increasingly nationalist world. In the pre-chorus, I sing "marinate the moment" because isolated in Toulouse, my love and I found blissful peace amidst a global pandemic and relentless global violence. For me, the song is like melting into one big exhale.
How would you like to inspire people?
I come from a diverse background, culturally and professionally, and I'm also starting my music career later than what's typical in the industry. So if there's anything I'd like for people to take from my example it'd be -- Just get started. It's never too late. Create your own lane. And be kind, to both yourself and others, along the way.
My newest single 'Obey' comes out Friday February 12th. Be sure to check it out!