Anni B Sweet

Ever since she put up her songs on MySpace, the folk-pop singer-song writer Ana López (Malaga 1988), has had an ever-growing fanbase, and now with the release of her first album her fame is going to rocket. Anni B Sweet is becoming one of the few new national indie artists whose music can win people over, both indie and non-indie types. Who can resist her melodies or that crystal like voice of hers which builds you up and then knocks you down at the same time? If there is still poetic justice in the world, and the public have good musical taste, “Start, Restart, Undo”, should be a guaranteed hit.

Ana- Anni has been writing songs since the age of seven and this is apparent in her work. In the beginning her songs were acapella style and improvised in the back seat of her dad’s car, her inspiration coming from whatever she saw or felt at the time. She also became very good at freestyling to the music samples on her toy organ. Later she was a member of a number of bands including one which did cover versions, a rock and roll band and later formed a duo, who were influenced by Belle and Sebastian with a friend. And at the end of it all, or rather just the beginning of a shinning career, according to what they say- Anni has emerged as a solo artist with her own take on legends such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Kate Bush or Cat Power. She had already recorded a demo in Madrid and the rest came by itself- a run away success on MySpace, winner a demo competition 2008 in the magazine Mondo Sonoro, packing out gigs, being a supporting act for Antonio Vega and last but not least, her star signing to FIB… all without having an album in the shops.

Just like her stage-name and the songs of her demo, this girl has a sweet future ahead of her. In this case, it is not to conform, but to gently fight for the life or the music that they want. Songs which at first listen may seem simple, are in fact worked arrangements, rich instrumentations and miracles with sound. Brian Hunt came back to shine in the production, just as he already had done on the demo. At times she can be compared with Micachu, St. Vincent and the other bad girls of modern (art) pop. These latest songs are sweetsounding too, but less so than previously, because these breezy songs might leave room for difficult questions, doubts about feelings for one and other, daily angst and latent trauma; as Anni sings in Mr D, “I suppose I have to pick up my guitar once again/ and sing my latest thoughts on our forbidden love”. Except for “Tumbando en mi moqueta azul” which was not written by her, all of the album’s songs are sung in perfect English, which she speaks fluently being educated at a British school.

There is usually a ray of sunshine coming in through the window, she forgets, forgives and wins, and we all win by listening to her. The wind calms, the clouds are just there for decoration and all of a sudden, the winter comes to an end.
- Juan Manuel Freire (prolific Spanish music writer)

The Norwegian singer sets the Sami culture to music, while the Spaniard focuses her attention on indie pop and American song
The singer-songwriters, Mari Boine and Anni B Sweet, bring Ellas Crean's musical offering to a close

25-03-2010

The Norwegian singer and champion of the Sami culture, Mari Boine. Photo: Carina Musk Andersen/Ellas Crean.
The singer-songwriters, Mari Boine and Anni B Sweet, bring Ellas Crean's musical offering to a close. Both artists are performing at Madrid's Sala Clamores (25 and 26 March, respectively), where they will give their individual takes on pop-folk.

The Norwegian singer, Mari Boine (Finnmark, 1956), is the best current representative of the Sami culture and the Lapp people; her music is born of the contradictory coexistence of tradition and modernity, which is also linked to protest song and the condemnation of environmental threats.

Mari Boine expresses herself through the drums of shamanic rituals and 'joik', a form of singing which derives meaning from the Sami people's relationship with nature. Added to this are the electroacoustic sounds of pop rock and the eclecticism of 'world music'. In fact, her music forms part of the multicultural Real World concerts, promoted by Peter Gabriel. 'Sterna Paradisea' (2009) is her latest recording.

Anni B Sweet: the sweetness of indie pop and folk

The singer-songwriter from Malaga, Anni B Sweet (Fuengirola, 1988), positions her work between indie pop and American folk music.

After becoming known through the Internet, the artist signed with the Subterfuge label in 2009, where she released 'Star, Restart, Undo', which is still appreciated by her followers thanks to songs such as 'Take On Me'.

Other songs which already form part of the soundtrack of daily life for young Spaniards and Europeans include 'Lalala', 'Again', 'Motorway', 'Burnt', 'Strong Stronggg' and '2 Monkeys'. - EU 2010 Culture website

Anni B Sweet
Emotion-filled songs performed with an extra dash of sweetness. She may be young, but this girl seems well beyond her years with a guitar slung over her shoulder and folk music oozing out of every pore. Ana López seems perfectly at home with the independent music scene as she speaks with Tertulia Andaluza.

By: Lakshmi I. Aguirre


Singer and composer
Birth: 1987
Location: Madrid
Stands out for: young new star on the Spanish folk scene
Did you know? she sings in English
There are two kinds of music. The pure expression of emotion or emotion trying to pass as music. The songs on Anni B Sweet’s first album belong to the first. Start Restart Undo manages to trap you in a glass house, take you on a picnic in the midst of winter and help you get lost in the dusty motorways of your memory. Hints of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Feist, fresh fruit or even a solitary pack of cards just waiting to be played.

You’ll find it hard to tear yourself away from this up-and-coming queen of folk. She may steal a piece of your heart, but she’ll also help you rediscover your soul. Once you’ve pressed play on Start Restart Undo there’s no turning back.


Q: Word of mouth has helped to bring you this far and your fans have put you where you are today. Do you ever wonder what will happen when people stop talking about you?

A: I try to live in the moment because you never know when all this is going to end. It’s best to enjoy what you’re doing as much as you can.

Q: Everyone says that your future is bright. How does it make you feel?

A: It’s great that people believe I’ve got a chance. It gives me strength to continue. I don’t see it as a burden or pressure. I make music, I believe in what I make and I enjoy it. That’s what I’ve done until now: play my songs with lyrics I’ve felt and experienced. It seems to work, so I’m just going to keep on doing it.

Q: I’ve heard that you only learnt to play the guitar a year and a half ago. How is it possible to have recorded an album so soon?

A: It’s all been so fast and I haven’t even had a chance to stop and think about it. It’s a pretty naive album, heartfelt and real, pretty much like me. I didn’t know much about how to record an album, nor did I think about what was going to happen afterwards. I thought I was recording it for myself and not for lots of people.

Q: There’s a great deal of melancholy in Start Restart Undo, especially in Mr. D. How much heartache has Ana had to suffer to write with such sentiment?

A: The song is based on a relationship, from start to finish. Not all songs are the same, but they are influenced by the same doubts about life and our existence. I compose my best music when I’m sad.

Q: You’re incredibly shy when you’re on TV or the radio. Is Ana López more comfortable under Anni’s guise?

A: I feel the same as both. When I go up on stage I don’t feel like I’m Anni B Sweet. It’s just something that I came up with a long time ago without ever thinking I would actually use it. I’m still Ana López and I still get embarrassed. But when I’m up there in front of an audience I have to sing and feel what I’m singing. So I simply don’t hide anything. When I’m singing I have to remember that people are there to have a good time, as am I.

Q: In what ways have you changed between the Anni of the open mike sessions to the Anni who performed at Benicassim?

A: The first thing to change has been the nerves. Having performed so many times I don’t get as sick as I did at the beginning. My perception of life has changed, although I still haven’t fully assimilated everything that’s happened. It was a real shock to see that so many people knew my songs at Benicassim. At times like that you realize that it’s really happening.

Q: You’ve certainly been in good company when making your album: Javier Doria and César Fernández (The Melocotons), Brian Hunt (Russian Red, Templeton)… Would you say you were born under a lucky star?

A: I’m definitely surrounded by great people. Friends who have supported me from the start, especially Javier Doria. They are people who play well and I’ve been lucky enough to cross paths with them.

Q: When listening to your album, hearing Tumbado en mi moqueta azul is a breath of fresh air for Spanish speakers because it’s in Spanish. Did you include the track by César Fernández because it won your heart or are you planning to keep writing in Spanish?

A: We wrote the song together. I needed some help because I find it harder to compose in Spanish than in English [she studied at an English school]. It was a chance to get more comfortable writing in Spanish and now I’m writing Spanish lyrics on my own. I hope there’ll be more on the next album.

Q: What was it about Take on me that made you want to include a version of it on your first album?

A: It’s a classic 1980s song I listened to when I was small. It reminded me of when I was younger and took me back in time. The song itself wasn’t my style. It’s very eighties, which says it all. I thought I could turn it into something positive and so I got together with Javier Doria to compose our own version. Someone heard it at a concert and thought it would work for the McDonalds ad.

Q: The album includes some surprises, such as To roll like a ball and Monkeys. Is it too soon to pigeonhole you in one style? Are you going to keep exploring your options?

A: We all go through phases. One month you feel a certain way and you listen to a certain type of music. The next month you’re into something totally different. I’m the same. I’ll compose a rock and roll tune and then have a down month and write a darker song. It’s good to have a varied album because it means you’re being sincere. To make a song into something it isn’t doesn’t seem right. I’m going to keep exploring all the options.

Q: Are you tired of being compared to other women who have both a guitar and talent?

A: It’s a little too easy to make comparisons. The music we’re making has its roots in the 1950s and earlier. It’s strange to be compared to people my own age. We’re all in it together. We’re all in our early twenties and have grown up with the same musical influences. Comparisons to Joan Baez or Eva Cassidy seem more logical. But since the contemporary people I’m being compared to are good artists, I don’t take it badly.

Q: Is it possible to be so sweet in the real world?

A: In reality I’m not all that sweet. Anni B Sweet is a play on words in that my voice sounds sweet but the lyrics are bitter. In certain songs the sweetness of my voice gets left behind. The songs I’m writing at the moment are darker and have a different vibe to the sweetness and innocence of my first album.

Q: What are your plans for 2010?

A: I’m doing an huge tour which starts in MALAGA and will finish at the end of the summer in order to give me some time to record a new album. Start Restart Undo is also travelling outside of Spain. It’s already come out in Taiwan, Holland, Germany and the UK. I have no idea if a tour outside of Spain will happen, but I hope so. This year I’m just going to play and play.

Q: What happened to your architecture?

A: Architecture fell by the wayside the moment I started to record my first album. There just wasn’t enough time between recording, promoting and concerts. I had to make a choice. Both careers require 100% dedication. It simply wasn’t possible.

Q: Start, restart, undo. Would you undo anything from the last year?

A: No. One learns a great deal from the bad things and they can help you do things better the next time around. I wouldn’t change everything: neither the good or the bad. - Lakshmi I. Aguirre- Tertulia Andaluza website

While listening to Anni b Sweet’s new album “Start Restart Undo” I remembered the face of my roommate when I told her I had bought the CD. Overthrown by excitement I had to give her the music right away. A few weeks earlier in Casa de Campo there was a festival and while heading back we heard some delightful folk-Indy music. Stroke by the crystalline voice of the singer we stayed to listen to the band and in the end asked around to know the name of the performers. This counts as strike number one.

Strike number two I guess would be: Myspace. Listening to the tunes displayed on the website along with a little Youtube viewing, the talent of the group was undeniable. Talking with others about it, they couldn’t agree more. This leads to strike three where the Casa Encendida was hosting a concert by Anni b Sweet. The room was far from being empty although it was an odd hour to have a performance. At noon the musicians were all on stage and the crowd was thrilled by the soft rhythms of the band. However, although they do form a great group where there is an obvious complicity in the jokes and bright smiles they share during the show, Ana Lopez and her angelic voice stand out.

After the concert, we had a little chat and the young women’s strong charisma and ambition only adds to the addiction she inspires in her music. I can tell she is a talent to watch as she appears to have a very promising future. Her style appears as a mix of Folk, Indy and Pop, and relates to artists such as Bob Dylan, Cat Power, Feist and Kate Bush. The singer is also the writer of the album’s songs and through topics related to love, death, the past and life, she asks questions and shares her feelings about them. Through innocent, sincere and sometimes melancholic tunes, the rhythm will however stick to your head for a while. Apathy is what it doesn’t inspire the listener and seeing the public clapping their hands, moving their heads and toes at the sound of the music, there can be no doubt of their appreciation.

Ana came from Malaga to Madrid to look for a band a little less than two years ago. As the encounter of a group was found difficult and unsuccessful for a time she then decided to learn to play the guitar, and after a year or so started to master it. After a while things all came together. She started writing her songs, and in Brian Hunt and German San Martin found two musicians she would work with on the album.

On the outcome of the songs, one detail can catch someone’s attention when knowing that the writer’s and performer’s mother tong is Spanish. As the English accent of the singer is undoubtedly the best I’ve heard from all her compatriots, and because only one out of twelve songs is in Spanish I figured there was a catch. Apparently young Ana Lopez is fluent in both languages as she was brought up in a bilingual high-school in southern Spain. Although she says she needs a little conversation practice, she has no problem working in a different language than her own. Therefore this adds to the prospect of a potential exportation of her music a great deal of credibility.

These days she travels all around Spain to promote “Start Restart Undo”. Though the disc is officially launched the 19th of September, it is already out in any CD store. However I had to ask: “How about Europe?” Although it is not on the menu for the moment, she would definitely love the idea of having a multinational public. Let me be a little critical now, Spain is a little selfish as it keeps all its artists for itself. Therefore I say no, music and art should be shared, and Anni b Sweet has most definitely a wide range of fans waiting for her. She has the talent, the style and the look for it. I can already see these young girls imitating their idol’s brunette fringe and retro style. With time, who knows? - Black Ink Blog