Retro soul / Modern pop from Seattle-based artist Annie J
Retro Soul + Modern Pop artist, ANNIE J, releases “YOUR POWER,”
the first single from forthcoming EP, BEEN LOVING YOU
Been Loving You out October 18, 2024j
Photo by Lucas Westcoat
“Songs that inflate the heart and empower the mind.”
– American Songwriter
“One of the best singers in Seattle and beyond.”
– Seattle Music Insider
“Years of practice, and a sharp intuitive focus, ensure that there’s literally not a wasted note, nary a second of showoffery. At the risk of invoking a cringeworthy cliché, the woman can sing damn near anything.”
– Artist Home
“‘Your Power’ is light-as-a-feather in lyrics and composition, inducing goosebumps with each new, impactful line.”
– Imperfect Fifth
(New York, NY) After years of working with esteemed artists such as the Seattle Rock Orchestra, The True Loves, Odesza, The Dip, Allen Stone, the legendary Cedell Davis, and more, Seattle-based artist Annie J prepares to share her own stories of hard-won realization on the upcoming EP, Been Loving You. With a wealth of experience, Annie has learned to weave authenticity and connection into her work, creating a record that empowers listeners to find strength in vulnerability.
Been Loving You begins with the poignant introspection of the first single, “Your Power,” an urge to embrace the inner voice that reminds us of what we can do in this life. Annie illustrates: “Imagine embodying that voice in your head, the one you hear from time to time that seems to say: “Hey, I’ve been here loving you the whole time. You can heal, and grow and reach for joy.”’
“This song, to me, is remembering that a patient inner voice exists, though she’s sometimes quiet compared to the rest. And knowing I will fall, again and again, and there will always be a way back,” she continues. LISTEN HERE.
“Your Power” single art
As the second-eldest daughter in a large Mormon family – five siblings in all – Annie J has always relied on music to find a sense of belonging. With a childhood spent shuffling around small towns throughout the US, she discovered that art created a deeper understanding of her purpose than what was on the surface. Annie’s family eventually settled on the east side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State—through it all, she found a constant companion in what was flowing through the speakers of a “dream machine” radio alarm clock her grandfather gifted her.
The R&B and jazz stylings of Whitney Houston and Nina Simone that Annie gravitated toward swirled with country-soaked powerhouse voices of Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, The Chicks and The Judds that her mother had on repeat. The messages these women sent via their music sparked her desire not only for singing but also for crafting stories and emotions into melodies that resonate, as well as modeling the significance of what it means to be uniquely you.
Formally trained in classical music, Annie studied theater in college, which offered a gateway to a wider world—learning to inhabit another viewpoint was a profound experience as an actor and later as a writer. She began to realize her talent for storytelling. In the years since, Annie’s sound has evolved into a singular blend of pop sensibility, soulful expression, and jazz-infused rhythms—she mentions contemporary voices like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, and Billie Eilish are current influences. She blends her skillful songwriting and brilliant vocals seamlessly for a sound that is truly her own.
Been Loving You is a letter of sorts to earlier versions of herself, an exhumation of her past, and an embrace of gratitude for her experiences.
“Been Loving You calls through time to me as a young girl, a young woman, an adult, and a new mom,” she says. “The words and music are for each, ever-evolving version of me. It’s a reminder: this is just life, mama—you’ll be okay. Keep creating yourself, and keep writing the story. It matters.”