Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: David Dahlhaus

We got to chat with singer Anna Chase about her advice for aspiring singers and working with T.I Jakke on “Antídoto.”

Has creating music been a passion of yours since you were a child?

Definitely! I was a very dramatic little girl. I would dedicate songs to my barbies, to flowers, and even sad songs to the family of dead ants. (Crazy, I know)

Tell us about “Antídoto” What inspired the lyrics?

Love. I’m in love and (as cheesy as it may sound) it changed my perspective. My boyfriend is truly my antidote, he’s my friend and someone I can count on through tough times.

What was the collaborative process like between you and T.I Jakke?

He makes it all so easy! He’s a genius. Because we’ve worked together on several songs in the past, it came out very naturally. He sends an idea or a track and I work on the lyrics on top of that.

Do you have a particular songwriting process?

It varies depending on who I collaborate with. If I’m doing all by myself, I will sit down at the piano and start playing around with progression ideas, or sometimes even just very short phrases for the lyrics. But if I’m collaborating on someone else’s track, I will let them guide me on what feeling they want to evoke and go from there. 

Has this year of quarantine given you more time to work on new music?

I did create a lot of music, but crazy enough the inspiration was totally different. I was feeling kind of off at first. However, I did have the opportunity to release new music I’m proud of such as “Antídoto” and “Color”, and play for different events digitally.

What advice do you have for aspiring singers?

Persevere! Even when times get rough or it seems that nothing is going your way, keep pushing. You will learn from your mistakes and become better. Also, trust your instincts.