“Know You”, tells the story of a woman’s personal growth through the pandemic, turning to music-making as a way to deal with mental health struggles that she felt unable to express in any other way. “Know You” is the latest single from Anna Margo, the multi-talented singer-songwriter who captivates listeners with the otherworldly melody of her vocals.
Anna’s parents left their native Armenia in the wake of the Soviet Union’s fall. After a spell in Brazil, they settled in America. Born and raised in Los Angeles, music surrounded Anna. Dad’s family even excelled as professional classical musicians throughout Europe.
Her childhood musical influences were nothing less than Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, and her “favourite” Rachmaninoff. With these references, she could not have been anything other than a musical artist. “I took a leap of faith,” she said. “I decided to dedicate everything to music”.
This song exposes a piece of Anna’s soul, one that is touched by emotional turmoil, as she explained. “I was dealing with anxiety and depression”. “It’s taboo for Armenians to talk about those things. It took some growing up for me to understand it. My parents never had the luxury to consider their mental health at my age, because life was a matter of survival. My way of communicating with them was through music. Even though the music is so personal and specific to my experience, I hope it’s universal. The only way I was able to understand my life was after I wrote these songs.”
Like the previous single you released, this one -Know you- feels very relatable for listeners. Can we say personal experiences are the universal main source of inspiration for artists?
Yes, and they should be. Our experiences shape the way we think and make us who we are, so it definitely influences how we write, what inspires us, and what we wanna say in our music.
The writing process tends to be self-reflective and solitary, according to important voices in the medium. Being an artist, maybe you find yourself surrounded by a lot of people. Do you have a method for when you get inspiration in the middle of a crowd?
I’m an introvert and a homebody at my core, so naturally, I’m always either home or at the studio. But if I’m around a lot of people and have an idea, I’ll excuse myself to the ladies’ room and turn that voice memo on and record whatever melody popped into my head. Then I’d write the lyrical concept in my notes and come back to it when I’m alone in the studio.
What are the tools, instruments, and gadgets you mostly use when writing a new song?
It’s always either started at my piano, my acoustic or electric guitars, on Logic messing with midi plug-ins or roaming through loops on Splice. Then I’ll record melody ideas with my phone until I’ve landed on the right one, and write the lyrics. When I record vocals, I usually engineer them by myself. All of my songs out right now, (Place, Bad Friend, Know You) I recorded alone in my room using the Telefunken TF51 mic, which goes through my Millennia STT-1 compressor. It keeps my vocal really warm and clean. My favourite reverb is the Valhalla Vintage. I’ll bring the session to Pro Tools sometimes to record, it’s easier to comp and edit audio there. Once I have my lead and backgrounds done, I go back into the production and work until I’m happy with it. My hardware setup isn’t the most elaborate, but it’s everything I need to bring my songs to life.
We have listened to your two previous songs, both of them written, interpreted and produced by you. What is the part you enjoy the most during the making of a song?
One of the parts I enjoy most is recording background vocals to the lead, and hearing the layers of harmonies build and build. That’s when the song really comes to life for me. There’s also always a moment when the production is getting close to what I hear in my head, and the adrenaline starts rushing, and I end up looping the song over and over again, walking around in circles in my room. There’s no feeling like it. And this is usually when I’ll get the idea for the visual.
Multi-instrumentalist. What a stunning way to introduce yourself in the music world. Do you have a particular preference for one instrument when composing music?
The piano will always be my first love. I’ve been training classical piano for over 12 years, and I still train with the same teacher. It’s instinct to reach for it first when composing, but there are certain songs where the guitar is the better choice for the lead instrument.
In Place and Bad Friend; we hear you singing through a smooth and delicate piano arrangement. “Know you”; it’s a guitar that makes its way through your voice. What else can we expect from an upcoming debut album?
You can expect a lot of new territory from me as far as genre, production style, and subject matter. I have a few more singles lined up before I drop a project, and they’re all really different. You might hear a soulful r&b sound on one song, then an alt-rock vibe on the next. From something upbeat and sultry to something infused with my classical piano background. So, if a listener doesn’t vibe with a specific song of mine or one that’s just come out, it’s not a big deal at all to me because I know sooner or later, I’ll release something right up their alley. But you’ll always hear those dreamy layered vocal harms.
In the future, what are your plans regarding gigs or tours?
Right now, I’m playing showcases and gigs almost once a month in Los Angeles/Hollywood. And it’s so much less frightening than I expected. Being locked up in my room creating music alone for most of my life, I couldn’t imagine myself on stage. But my first three shows have come and gone, and it’s been so much fun. Well into the new year, I plan on hitting all the venues and showcases I can in LA. It’s the best way to hone my craft and build my stage presence until the time comes for me to go on the road. Until then, I’m enjoying playing with my band all around my hometown.
What kind of activity outside of music do you enjoy doing in order to keep balance?
I really enjoy reading, specifically fantasy novels, whenever I can to get my eyes off a screen for a while and fall into a different world. Reading has actually benefited my creativity and speed when writing lyrics as well, surprisingly. I’m also a big film and tv buff; inherited that trait from my dad. Aside from the creative world, I love weightlifting. I used to play water polo in high school, and my love for sports in general never went away. Sitting on a producer’s chair for ten hours out of the day isn’t really ideal for anyone’s well-being. I was training almost every single day last year, and both my mental and physical health were improving drastically. It’s much harder for me to stay consistent right now with so much going on with the music, but when my schedule is a little more forgiving, that’s my first stop.
What type of music can we find if we take a look at your latest reproduction in your music streaming service?
You’ll find a combination of different genres of music. But there’s a melancholy undertone in common between them lately. The most recent songs I added are “Burn Out” by Johnny Goth, “Caroline” by Sombr, “You and Whose Army?” by Radiohead, and a piano piece called “Sol And Luna” by Joep Beving. My daily rotation changes constantly depending on my mood, and I’ve been really exhausted lately, mentally and physically. These songs kind of reflect that.
What are your influences for your latest releases?
My influences for my latest releases musically speaking, are my favourite film composers, Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawidi, and my favourite musicians and producers, Cory Henry and Finneas O’Connell. I tried to replicate the feeling that their music evokes in me through a pop/r&b alternative lens. Storytelling is also something I prioritize when planning out releases, whether it’s a single or a project. Every song is connected to the one before, like chapters in a book.
Who gave you the support to keep writing in the early stages of your career?
My dad was my earliest supporter and always took it seriously when I would show him a song I wrote, way before I even contemplated pursuing it myself. I was probably 8 when I showed my parents the first song I wrote and started messing around with GarageBand. For me, it was just something I loved to do, for him it was a glimpse of my future. In the early stages of my career, I was doing covers on Youtube and racking up a few hundred thousand views per video. But I quickly decided I wanted to focus on writing. And my manager at the time could have advised against it, but he didn’t. And for years after that, I took songwriting classes, collaborated with other artists, interned with a producer, and learned under him. And every week my dad and my manager would sit in my room and I’d show them at least 3 new songs I wrote and produced that week. And every week I was given constructive criticism, and this is what I believe pushed my writing to develop into music I was ready to share with the world.
Usually, how much time do you spend crafting new material?
It varies case by case. Sometimes it comes really easily and the writing flows fast, and I’ll finish the song within the hour. “Bad Friend” was like that. Other times, I like the concept, but get stuck on a certain line with the lyrics, and need a couple of days to land on the right words. But there are times when I need to abandon the idea completely, for weeks or months, and come back to it eventually with a fresh mind, and it starts to flow naturally again. It’s never the same process.
How’s your relationship with your childhood friends, now that you are sort of a public figure?
It never changed. My childhood friends are my family, and I’ve been working towards this for as long as they’ve known me. And they’re just as excited for me and protective of me as my parents. I value their support even more now as things start to change in my life. They’re the one constant. And they’re always standing in the front row at all my shows.
