Growing up in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles having signed her first record deal at age 13, 21-year-old Annika Rose embodies self-awareness, songwriting prowess, and vocal ability beyond her years–all of which shine undeniably in her new song “Unforgettable.” Stripped back from its original production, the piano ballad makes room for the sheer impact of Annika’s stunning vocal performance. Her lyricism is both vulnerable and clever, while her melodies roll off the tongue effortlessly dancing over the minimal yet cinematic soundscape.
Co-written and produced by Paul Phamous and Bailey Lindley, “Unforgettable” paints an honest and nuanced picture of Annika’s experience. “I have a pretty complex relationship with my mom, as most people do,” says Annika. “The song sort of stemmed from our relationship dynamic.”
Taking on new meaning as time passes, “Unforgettable” shapeshifts in a way that only timeless songs can. A testament to Annika’s tenacity and growth, through highs and lows she remains steadfastly committed to her craft. “Looking back, I can recognize my voice getting a little bit more clear and a little bit louder and a little bit more pointed.”
Finishing “Unforgettable” over the course of the last two years, it’s an apt representation of her reverence for the process. “It was a really subtle, slow burn for it to be fully finished and complete, constantly going back in and making really minor tweaks.” Her patience pays off. “Unforgettable,” track six from HIGH FREQUENCY Volume 2, lives up to its name.
The maturity heard in her music is not by happenstance. Annika devoted her adolescence to music and has over a decade of professional experience. She started her first Youtube channel at age seven and joined her first band at 10. She was then scouted by an A&R in the UK to be part of a rock-influence girlband at Louis Tomlinson’s imprint label at Sony Music UK, and signed her first record deal at age 13. “That was how I started doing sessions and working in the LA writer circuit. I was in that band from 13 to 15. We were just writing and writing and writing and rehearsing and in lessons and doing all the classic development stuff and getting the music together.”
Two years into development the band was dropped before releasing any music. Around this time Annika’s parents split up and her mom remarried. Seeking refuge in her piano late at night, Annika began writing songs for herself in secret while working as a session writer for other artists.
It soon became clear that it was time to use her voice to tell her stories and step out as a solo artist. “I signed another record deal with Tap Records and put out my first EP Ventura Boulevard, which was really cool because it was the first time that I took all of these secretive little songs that I was writing on piano at home by myself and gave them life. It felt like a really strong representation of where I was at the time and encapsulated a very specific time of life from girlband to complete explosion of family to coming back together in a completely new format.”
When the pandemic forced her to make yet another shift, she took it in stride joining web3 focused collective NVAK in 2021. “The most enticing thing about web3 to me coming into it was the fact that there were no rules. People were fed up and redefining success,” says Annika. “I love the fact that people are trying things differently, and doing things differently and experimenting.”
After releasing a series of singles on Sound and various experiments, she’s now focused on her next body of work. “Now I'm figuring out what the next chapter is going to look like. But I have too much music for my own good, like too much. Gotta find a way to get it all out.”
Annika’s superpower is her ability to stay grounded and center her art. Her charm, openness, and talent is radiant and her authenticity, refreshing. “I don't always stay energized. I have very real moments of defeat,” says Annika candidly. “But when I close my eyes all I think about is music. When I come home at the end of a long day of making music, I want to write another song. It's just not a question, it has to work. That’s been my North Star since I was a child, there's never been another option. I just have to keep reinventing, like you just have to. And lucky for me, music is my favorite form of therapy.”
As she relentlessly forges ahead, finding space for mental health and wellbeing has been crucial. Reconnecting with her childlike love of music as a way to quiet the pressures and competitive nature of LA has been key. “My competitive nature lies within myself and not with other people. And I think it's tough to be in a place where people are constantly climbing the same ladder as you. They support you until you start climbing a little bit higher than them, and then they want you off the ladder. And I just do not operate like that, because I think there's room for everybody. I think we sometimes forget that there's a really innocent and pure, untainted reason as to why we all started doing this in the first place and to try and reconnect with that is so crucial for your emotional health and to your craft. It’s a disservice to your art if you are trying to do it for other people.”
A recent trip to Switzerland with a childhood friend served as an especially helpful reprieve. “We just sat in Switzerland in a fucking field with cows and wrote songs together for two weeks,” says Annika. “We brought an acoustic guitar with us everywhere. I mean, we were so annoying, we would sit at a nice restaurant and bring our guitar because it felt so good to just sing to sing. There was such a deep gratitude at the sound of music, and somebody's capabilities. It was such a necessary reminder that it's a superpower to be able to do what we do. And it's really a fucking gift. People need music to heal. Not everyone can make it themselves and not everyone has a safe outlet for their emotions and for processing. Seeing how resonant it was with other people, it was so pure. Like, wow, oh my god. I really do love music. I felt so inspired and wanted to get home only to bring the songs that I wrote there with my friend to life.”
Creatively energized and brimming with new music, Annika’s biggest priority is finding the most authentic and confident way to share her art with the world. “The greatest act of courageousness is believing in yourself. That is the scariest thing ever to do, because I think we live in a culture that asks us to be self deprecating and constantly compare ourselves to other people,” says Annika. “It may not be on the timeline you anticipate but believe that it's something worth sharing and somebody somewhere will find it and connect with it. I think the bravest thing you can do is believe that you have something to offer.”
****
Collect Music NFTs from HIGH FREQUENCY Volume 2. “Unforgettable” is the sixth track to be released from HIGH FREQUENCY Volume 2. “Unforgettable” is dropping via Sound at 2pm PST on November 03, 2023.
Collect and add HIGH FREQUENCY writing NFTs to your digital library.
Article by Wallace Morgan for HIGH FREQUENCY, NOISE’s weekly newsletter. Subscribe for more.