Words by Carol Wright |Photos courtesy of Chris Anthony
We got to chat with singer, songwriter Chris Anthony about his song “Get Away” and his songwriting process.
Has a career in music always been of interest to you?
Yes! Ever since the age of three I would walk around the house singing old Beach Boys songs and trying to play the guitar like my dad. I actually recently dug up some old home videos and it was funny to see myself at such a young age doing essentially what I do now!
Who are some of your music inspirations?
The Beatles, Chet Atkins, the Stray Cats, and Elvis for sure. They all defined their genres and eras with their amazing music but they also had such a badass look going for them and their whole idea of capitalizing on their image was and is really cool to me. I definitely grew up listening to rock and roll and always tried to imitate what I saw.
What is your songwriting process?
When I’m writing or composing my music, I like to be in a really relaxed state of mind. This usually means the lights out and just sitting quietly with my notes working together different ideas in my head. Most of my songs start out as a sad ballad on the piano or guitar but usually transforms into something a lot greater, but I actually for some reason, get a lot of good ideas for melodies when I’m in the shower. So I need to hum it out loud so I don’t forget and immediately record it as a voice memo on my phone!
Tell us about your song “Get Away”. What inspired the sound and lyrics?
Songs that deal with the realities of our modern society, watching everyone flex or show off all the nice and expensive things they have, showing that if you don’t have all the nice things they have, life won’t be as enjoyable. With my record I portray that life is not always about those malleable objects but it’s important to just take a look at where you are and enjoy life, nature, and love. As a result, this song also dives into some mental health issues showing that we as a society constantly battle these issues but it’s important to just let go and get away. If it’s a physical vacation or even just a little mental break from all the stress in our world. The song started off really sad but I realized that to enjoy life to its fullest it’s important to have a positive state of mind so I decided to speed it up and make the overall vibe more upbeat.
You also touch on relatable topics such as mental health through your writing. Is it important for you to be as vulnerable as possible through your music?
I think it’s important to be authentic when you are writing and sometimes this way means opening up a little bit. Topics of mental health is something that is not heavily talked about in our media. Yet, it is something we all struggle with and by promoting it more I think it makes it really relatable to everyone. On social media people are always trying to show the best version of themselves but every so often it’s good to take a look at yourself and evaluate.
What advice do you have for aspiring singers?
Never think you know it all! I would definitely always be constantly looking for ways to improve. Having knowledge of music theory and vocal techniques is crucial especially in whatever genre you end up singing for. Singing formally in a choir for over 10 years taught me this and by singing diverse pieces I was able to learn and appreciate music a lot more and translate those techniques into what I’m doing now.
