Since introducing her pristine voice to world of country music in 2014, Michaela Anne has released two highly acclaimed albums, including collaborations with Rodney Crowell and and Noam Pikelny of the Punch Brothers, and earned a spot in various U.S. and U.K. festivals such as MerleFest, AmericanaFest, and Bristol Rhythm & Roots. This Friday (9/27) Michaela Anne sets her trifecta of albums with the release of Desert Dove. Through lyrics and themes, Michaela Anne pushes the questions of women’s reputations and representations in society (and in turn country music) with the support of some of music’s most accomplished musicians (guitarist Brian Whelan (Dwight Yoakam, Jim Lauderdale), fiddler Kristin Weber (Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price), drummers Mark Stepro (Ben Kweller, Butch Walker) and Daniel Bailey (Everest, Father John Misty).
We caught up with Michaela Anne to talk about her musical journey, the new album and more.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
MA: I live in Nashville, TN but grew up moving around (dad was a Naval Submarine Captain) and also lived in NYC for a long time. I write, sing and play country leaning songs with a slight indie bend. I’m somewhat pint sized (5’2”), love to dance and definitely like to speak my mind. I also like how my answer to this reminds me of a junior high yearbook profile!
CN: At what age did you discover music?
MA: I discovered music pretty young. I loved listening and dancing, my mom says I came out of the womb dancing. I started piano around age 5 because my older brother was taking lessons and I begged to have my own lessons. From there I tried many different instruments and took in a lot of different genres through lessons, singing and dance.
CN: Which musicians, country or not, have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
MA: So many to name… Otis Redding, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Billie Holiday, Gram Parsons, Neil Young, Nina Simone, Chet Baker, Shania Twain, the Dixie Chicks, Patty Griffin, Joni Mitchell, Sam Cooke, Sade, Van Morrison, Whitney Houston… too many to name!
CN: What was the first album you ever owned?
MA: Amy Grant’s “Heart In Motion”
CN: When did you realize that a career in music was your calling?
MA: I knew music was my calling from a very young age but I didn’t know what a career in music looked like. I didn’t know indie musicians existed… I thought it was Britney Spears or nothing and I didn’t want that pop stardom path so it took me a long time (into my early 20s) to realize that I could build my life around this.
CN: You grew up as a military child, with your dad serving in the U.S. Navy, which caused you to move around a lot. First, we want to thank your father for his service. Second, how did all that moving around – not only the US but also in Europe – shape you as a person?
MA: I will pass on the thank you to him. It shaped how I look at the world, how I interact with people. I continually fight the feeling that everything is going to end. Anytime I’m happy or content, I think, ‘oh well this is going to go away soon, these people, this environment’, because that’s what I knew. The consistent emotion I felt my entire life was one of longing: longing for my dad who was out to sea, for my grandparents, cousins, relatives who all lived in Michigan, for my friends I’d just moved away from. It was always there. So I have to work to consciously not give into that sadness/isolating feeling. On the flip side, that upbringing showed me from a young age how diverse and big this world is. There are so many different kinds of people, religions, culture and I’ve always felt privileged that I grew up seeing and experiencing that which has instilled in me how rich it is to open up your world beyond the small day to day bubble we can so easily live in.
CN: Did having so many different experiences over those years help provide inspiration for you as an artist?
MA: Oh yes, many. Especially within the world of country music. I related very quickly to the anguish in the voices I heard of Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, George Jones. All of the different relationships I’ve had from changing location so often, watching my parents relationship, the varied experiences and adventures… they all feed my song inspiration.
CN: Since releasing your debut album Ease My Mind in 2014 and sophomore album Bright Lights and The Fame two years later, you have been praised many times over, and have been compared to greats like Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. What does that acknowledgement mean to you?
MA: The praise and acknowledgement is extremely encouraging. Of course it always feels good to be complimented, but I also feel like I have to keep a healthy detachment from it. I have to continuously go back and find my initial joy and love for music that I felt when I was a kid experiencing a minor chord for the first time on piano, blissfully unaware that you could get paid (or spend a lot of money) for a music career, unaware of critics, fans, streaming, social media, etc. Otherwise, I think it gets clouded and I can’t make the music that’s real coming from me. Also, as wonderful and as helpful as the praise is, there’s so much more that goes into surviving and thriving in this business so you have to keep your head down and keep working.
CN: Your recognition continued as this past May you signed with Yep Roc Records, home of the legendary Jim Lauderdale, Mandolin Orange, and Steep Canyon Rangers. To share the same label as some of the greats in Americana / Bluegrass, has to feel so amazing?
MA: It definitely does. When you’ve been working for a long time you can become accustomed to this kind of uphill battle mentality and ‘you’re on your own’ idea, so I have to keep stopping and taking stock, looking around like wow, I have all these talented people now putting their faith and time into my music. I’m incredibly grateful. And to be among so many artists I admire… I don’t take it for granted that’s for sure.
CN: You’ve got a new label and new record called Desert Dove, set for release on September 27. Can you tell us a little bit about the album?
MA: Oof, how do I condense this? Ha! There’s a lot in this album. The past few years, the journey of writing, recording, releasing this album has been a complex, painful, joyful, life-changing time. I wanted to create an album that I would want to listen to, that blended my influences of 90s pop country of the strong female artists I grew up on (Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks) with the sonic influence of the current albums I love and listen to today (War on Drugs, Kathleen Edwards, Rayland Baxter). I wanted to write songs where I didn’t censor myself, where I didn’t let the consideration of how friends and family would feel upon hearing them influence my writing. I think I accomplished those intentions with this record. I hope it provides some solace, connection, provokes some deeper thinking about our human experiences, relationships, femininity, masculinity, desire and love.
CN: The lead single, “By Our Design,” is a wonderful track with a very personal accompanying music video featuring your husband fellow musician and producer Aaron Shafer-Haiss. The video and song go hand in hand as if the song is the narration. How did the idea for the home-movie aesthetic come about?
MA: Well I love home movies and always have. I grew up making hours of (probably very boring) footage. I always love the montage scenes in movies. I’ve always loved the opening of “The Wonder Years”. It just gives me a feeling of warmth and family. So because the song felt like a statement and intention on my life, I wanted the video to reflect the simplicity of it all.
CN: “If I Wanted Your Opinion” is another amazing stick of kindling being thrown on this way overdue fire in the music industry for women’s voices to be heard, both as business women and on the radio. Was there a specific event that inspired you to write this track?
MA: There wasn’t any specific event, just a lot of events, big and small. I wrote it with my friend Mary Bragg. I had started it on my own and was reflecting on this idea of being a woman and the male gaze and role in our lives. How we are brought up as little girls, even if our parents don’t raise us to believe this, but the societal messages we receive to believe our future is determined by who we marry, what men can do for us, etc. Everywhere we look, men are the dominant gender in every position. Beyond that, my personal experiences of being a woman in music, especially on tour… I have countless examples of dealing with full sexual harassment to albeit well-intentioned but unsolicited “advice” that can often come off as very belittling and condescending or something like a sound engineer explaining what a monitor is to me. It’s hard to not continually point out that you’re hard pressed to find a guy who has those same experiences. So, we wanted to write a song with a little message. Packaged with a smile.
CN: Both of these songs are very personal and passionate. Can you take us through your songwriting process?
MA: Those two songs are an example of how I don’t really have a process. “By Our Design” I wrote alone and pretty effortlessly/quickly. “If I Wanted Your Opinion” went through many writes and re-writes and edits. Mary Bragg and I got together three different times to try and finish it. Sometimes songs fall out easily, other times it’s pretty tortuous and then can take an almost academic approach in finishing them.
CN: What do you hope fans take away from this album?
MA: I hope fans take away whatever they needed to. I hope they hear something they connect with, can relate to, helps them feel seen or understood or maybe helps them understand someone else in their life.
CN: AmericanaFest just wrapped up, how was it?
MA: It was really fun! I felt like this was one of the first years that I had a good balance. I played a lot and got to hang a bit and see some friends’ shows but I also went to a movie and slept well which rarely happens during AmericanaFest!
CN: Do you have a dream collaboration in mind?
MA: Shania Twain, 100%.
CN: What was the first concert you ever attended?
MA: I consider two. I don’t actually remember which one was first but around the same time period I saw No Doubt and Weezer play an arena show. Another first concert was Hootie and the Blowfish and Little Richard, both at an outdoor festival in Michigan. Both were amazing.
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
MA: Well this is really hard… I couldn’t decide on one, so I asked my husband and he very quickly answered “complex”. Ha! So let’s go with that.
CN: Your tour in support for Desert Dove kicks off on October 4 in Asheville, NC. Ready for fans to hear the new album?
MA: I’m really excited to share these songs. I’ve lived with them for awhile so I honestly keep forgetting they are brand new to everyone else. I’m excited that we’ll have a keys/synth player on tour with us for the first time in addition to my usual rock band set up with drums, bass and electric guitar.
CN: New album, tour – what’s next on the horizon in 2019/2020?
MA: On the horizon is hopefully a lot of touring around the world and then even more songs and another record to follow. The cycle continues!
Desert Dove is available for purchase here.
For more information on Michaela Anne, visit her website at www.michaelaanne.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.