Sparky talked to symphonic metal band Ana from Melbourne about their debut EP and more.
Metal-Roos: Hi Anna, Hope you are well. What are you currently up to?
Hi guys, I’m thank you. We’re currently preparing for our show at The Toff in town and working on sharing something new with our fans.
Metal-Roos: Congratulations on your debut EP The Art of Letting Go! It has happened quite quickly since the band’s formation. Where the songs waiting and ready to go?
Most of the lyrics and melodies for the songs had already been written by Josh and myself. We then got together with the band to arrange them.
Metal-Roos: It’s a release that combines a lot of different ideas. From the power of Ouroboros to the subtlety of Moth, was it important to represent all the different shades of your music?
Yes, we do find it hard to nail down a single genre to describe what we do as each member of the band comes from different musical and cultural backgrounds. But together we are able to find common ground in what we create together. We write what we feel and allow the song to tell us which direction we should take in order to best convey its message.
Metal-Roos: Your vocals carry a personal intimate edge. Should music be free and embody passion?
The path that life has taken me on to get here has been unusual and often tumultuous. Yet, there are many emotional themes that I feel listeners can relate to. Music to me should always be honest and I think that’s what our fans have been able to recognise and identify with.
Metal-Roos: It also carries a lot of energy, something that you also have with your live shows?
Performing live shows are one of my favourite things in life. We open ourselves to spontaneity and the energy from the audience moves us and our performance. It’s a beautiful relationship where the band and fans feed off each other’s energy and spur us on to give more of ourselves.
Metal-Roos: Where does your inspiration come from? Is it from things you see or experience personally?
The majority of our lyrics are drawn from personal experiences. Sometimes we write them in a very raw and unfiltered way and other times we may use metaphors and imagery to describe the emotion and experience. The constant is that it always comes from a place of truth.
Metal-Roos: How does this affect your lyrics and vocal performance of each song? Scars for example?
SCARS is one of my personal favourite songs. It was the very first song that Josh and I worked on together. It has an unfiltered quality to the way I deliver the vocals and even though time has passed it still feels as raw as the day I wrote it. We are very excited share the music video of it with the world. It’s gonna be a side of ANA that hasn’t been seen before.
Metal-Roos: What does Ana stand for as a band and your music to the world?
There are many bands and artists that we adore but there are things that we wanted to see and hear in music that we didn’t find. This yearning led us to write our own music that would encapsulate all that we wanted to express and experience.
Metal-Roos: You love for all things music? What led you to the heavier, more extreme side of it, and the freedom of self-expression within it?
I began listening and performing pop music. While there are many things I still love about it I felt that it was lacking in certain aspects that I required to tell my stories. Metal music filled that gap and also allowed me to retain some of those elements that I loved.
The importance of your dreams and the courage to go with them and your music ?
I’ve dreamed of this since I was a child and that dream has never wavered for me. Courage is something I’ve attained through my life and with each step we take it grows a little more.
Metal-Roos: What is next for Ana? A tour or a full-length album perhaps?
We have several shows planned for regional Victoria and are in the process of organising some interstate shows. International shows are also in the works but I don’t wanna give away too much at this stage. In terms of new music, all I can say is that we have already begun and completed some works on our debut album. For those lucky fans who come see us at The Toff on 15/3 they will be treated to a sneak preview of what’s to come.
Metal-Roos: Final thoughts?
We wanna wholeheartedly thank every single person who has given their time and support to us. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to create all this material but hearing and seeing the response from people is something that can only be described as rapturous. We also want to thank all the fans who have purchased our official ANA comic as this is something that we believe in strongly and your support has enabled us to continue the production of it. The full issue 1 will be released in the near future.
