Anna Shoemaker Talks New Album and The Progression of Her Sound
Image courtesy of Mary Mathis
This interview has been edited for clarity purposes.
Anna Shoemaker is a rising indie musician based in Brooklyn, New York. She released her first single, “What Am I Doing to Me?” in 2018 and her third EP, “Hey Anna” came out in June 2023.
Her music is incredibly personal and relatable, which translates to such intimate and fun live performances. She’s currently wrapping up her tour with Aidan Bissett. I spoke with Anna shortly after her Boston show in October about the current tour, her creative process and her next album.
Image courtesy of Isabella Cubba
Annaliese Baker: I saw you open for Aidan Bissett at Paradise Rock Club. How was that show? What was it like?
Anna Shoemaker: That was definitely one of my favorite shows so far. Boston really showed up. It was a really cool venue — kind of an iconic venue — that I know we were all really excited to play. The crowd was great and it was an amazing show. I mean, Aidan’s fans are always amazing. I had also never been to Boston, so I didn’t really know what to expect. It was really fun.
AB: There was a moment at that show where some fans were at the barricade singing along to “666.” You went over to them and they began to freak out— it was really awesome to watch. What’s it like to see people singing the lyrics to your songs?
Shoemaker: It’s the craziest feeling. Especially because I’m opening for Aidan at these shows, [they’re] mostly his fans, so you never really know if anyone’s going to know your music or if anyone’s going to care, and when people know the words, it’s just insane. It’s so, so cool and fun. These are songs that I wrote not even thinking about anyone listening to them [or]hearing them — and people know the words … It’s just a really crazy feeling.
AB: A lot of musicians have talked about trying to promote their work on social media and develop a following, kind of like they’re influencers. As a musician in the industry right now, how do you feel having to navigate the intersection between artist and influencer?
Shoemaker: That’s definitely an interesting thing. It’s becoming more and more important to have an online presence. For me, I feel lucky because I don’t really mind it. I like being online and posting and being able to show my personality. But, I always make sure I’m a musician first; I’m a songwriter first. If the internet is ever making me feel weird, uncomfortable or anxious, I’m never hesitating to take a break.
AB: That’s really awesome to hear. I see a lot of musicians talking about how it’s hard to multitask, in a way, or have these two jobs as you’re promoting your work and then also creating art.
Shoemaker: Yeah, it is really difficult. It can be kind of overwhelming sometimes. I just feel so very lucky because everyone that I talk to online is so nice. I don’t feel like there’s mean people in my DMs, which I know some people struggle with. People on the internet can be awful, but I feel lucky that I just get to talk to the cutest people ever, all the time.
AB: That’s so great.
Shoemaker: I just try to keep it really real. I just do my thing. I feel like the second I try to do something where I’m trying to be cool, I get anxious. So I just have to keep it real.
AB: I think that really translates to your stage presence, at least at the Boston show. You had such a good vibe about you and a lot of the people in the audience got into the music, even if they didn’t know it.
Shoemaker: Thank you so much! It’s not something that ever really came naturally to me — being on stage. It was always something I wanted to do but always had to work on. At least, not feeling awkward or weird on stage. I feel like this tour, especially, I’m feeling so much more comfortable and hopefully it [shows].
AB: It definitely does. You seem like you’re having such a good time on stage and it’s really nice to see musicians really enjoy what they’re doing.
Shoemaker: Oh my God, thank you! I mean yes, I am having so much fun, so I’m glad it seems that way.
Image courtesy of @averagecowgirl on Instagram
AB: So, how has the tour been going so far?
Shoemaker: The tour has been amazing. It’s been a couple of weeks and we only have four shows left, which is kind of sad, honestly. Aidan and his team have been so amazing. It’s been a blast. I’m so grateful to be a part of it.
AB: That’s a really quick tour, it feels like it flew by.
Shoemaker: I know! It does feel like it flew by and it feels like we’ve been on the road for like a year [at the same time].
AB: You have a pretty extensive discography with a lot of single releases and EPs. When you’re releasing a single, is there always an intention of putting it on a larger work like an EP?
Shoemaker: It really just depends. I’m really excited about the album that I’m working on now because I do feel like a lot of the songs I’ve been putting out weren’t generally created with a larger body in mind. A lot of songs — like a lot of my EPs and projects — have kind of been written with different people or at different times, about different things. It’s always been my goal to make one very cohesive body of work. I would say that all of my EPs and my albums —- I like to think of them as diaries. It’s different days, different moods, different feelings. Like, different people I’m working with or that I’m writing with. It’s been really fun to work like that. But with this next album that I’m working on now, I’m really just excited to make an album and shape it song by song because I’ve never been able to do that. I’ve always been like, “Okay, I have these songs that I love. They should go on the album.” Why not? I think it’s just different processes, but the way that I’m doing this next project, this has always been my goal. So I’m really, really excited.
AB: That’s so, so cool to hear. So, you’re putting out a full-length album next?
Shoemaker: Yeah! We haven’t even announced any of it yet, but I’ll tell you. We’re working on an album now that’ll come out next year.
AB: That is awesome to hear. Are you hoping to do a big headline tour for it?
Shoemaker: I don't know. Hopefully. I want to go on tour as much as possible just because it feels like there's two things that really do it for me as an artist: writing the music and touring [and] playing shows. That's what makes me feel most connected to what I'm doing and why I want to do this. So, yeah, definitely.
AB: That’s great. You have a lot of music out now. You’ve been releasing music since 2018, right?
Shoemaker: Yeah.
AB: A lot of artists don't talk about their older songs — from when they were first starting out — because they don't feel it represents them anymore. How do you navigate the progression of your sound without undermining your early work?
Shoemaker: That's a really good question. I actually think about this a lot because obviously our sound evolves, but, for me, it's always been the writing that is the most important thing. The genre has never really come into my mind too much. The first songs that I wrote obviously sound very different than writing now, but I think if you were to follow the storylines of the lyrics, you would know that it's from the same person. For me, the most important things about my songs are that the writing is true to myself. I think that that's a really important throughline in all of my songs, even the ones that I put out in 2018. As for the sound of them, I love the song. Again, it's just all about the writing. I want them to sound the way that I felt writing them. So I’m like, “We need to make this a little darker. We need to make this a little bit brighter and more exciting.” We're not sitting there like, “Oh, we need to be more like R&B, or we need to be more rock, or we need to be more this or that.” It’s really just based on a feeling.
AB: Yeah, that's a really great way of putting it. I feel like a lot of artists now try to fit into the genre that they first started in, or whatever song went viral and blew them up. But, it's nice to hear there's still this “genuineness” to the creative process.
Shoemaker: I hope so. That’s what we’re trying for. It’s genuineness.
AB: So your newest EP “Hey Anna” came out in June — and we were kind of talking about this with your album — but how did you decide what songs to put on it?
Shoemaker: So with “Hey Anna,” I had just met my collaborator Constantine [Anastasakis], whose band is called Blonder. I met him at a dinner party and had been a huge fan of his. We happened to sit next to each other at this dinner party and he said, “Oh, we should work together,” and I literally jumped on it because I knew I really wanted to work with him. So, we had a few sessions and the first song we ever wrote together was “666.” And then we wrote probably, like, 15 or 20 more. We have a lot of songs. There was already one that I wanted to have on the EP that I wrote with someone else called, “I think I,” and then — you know — [just the first four-ish] that I had written with Constantine, I was like, “We should just go with these. I love these. Let's see.” It wasn't super, super thought-out, honestly, which — maybe I shouldn't even admit that… but we just went with those because I liked them together. Now, with this album, I'm working with him again and we're really being intentional about what songs go together, what story we're telling and who we’re talking to. It's just a whole new journey.
AB: That's really cool. You said you wrote like 15 or 20 songs with him on “Hey Anna,” right?
Shoemaker: And a lot of those songs will be on the album. I think we’ve written, probably —- I don't even know — maybe 20 or 25 songs.
AB: Wow. That’s a lot.
Shoemaker: Some of [the songs] are like, “We'll never talk about it again for sure.” With some of them [we were] like, “We love this.”
AB: I feel like songwriting is definitely a lot of trial and error.
Shoemaker: It is a lot of trial and error. There was one song we wrote and then we never talked about it again. And then I texted [Constantine] the other day, “I think I want, like, ‘blank’ on the album.” [Constantine’s] like, “What? We’ve never even spoken about this song.” Yeah, I love that, you know? [Songwriting is] such a crazy back and forth.
AB: I'm sure. Especially when you're deciding what goes on the album because, although it is a longer work, you only have so many songs you can really put on it.
Shoemaker: Yeah, exactly, and we're going to have a few. It really is a continuation of the EP, so there's going to be some crossover. Some songs from the EP will be on the album, but it's just a continuation — even of the songs from 2018. It’s all just like another chapter.
AB: You've talked about having a lot of intention behind what you put on this album. A lot of artists have a collective theme or focal point for their longer works, so is there a particular focal point or central theme around your upcoming album?
Shoemaker: I think that’s what we’re trying to figure out now. I’ll keep you updated!
AB: Then we’ll have to talk when the album is out, for sure.
Shoemaker: Yes, definitely! You can call me back for that.
AB: Perfect! So, when you write songs, are they primarily based on things that are happening in your personal life?
Shoemaker: Definitely. I think it’s always been about things that are happening to me or things that are going on, or just insecurities. A lot of it is insecurities coming out subconsciously. I won't even realize I'm writing about something and then days later I'll be like, “Wow, I guess I'm still really upset about that,” or, “Wow, I guess I'm still upset with that person,” you know? It's a learning thing. As I write, I'm like, “Oh, wow, I didn't know I felt that way,” but, I guess I do — and then, when I started working with Constantine, [I learned] he writes in a similar way. It's fun riffing off of him because I really trust him as a writer. We really trust each other. So, when he says, “No, you should say this,” I'm like, “Oh my God, you're right.” Trust is a really important thing in the writing vibe.
AB: Yeah I’m sure. It’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. If you're ever stuck or you're like, “Hey if you've experienced a similar situation with a person or a similar feeling—” to ask your collaborator how to portray that in writing. Translating your feelings into writing can sometimes be a little difficult, especially if it's a fresh situation.
Shoemaker: Yes, definitely. I think [Constantine] is very cool and I really respect his vibe and his taste, so when he thinks something is good, I get really excited. I still remember our first couple of sessions — it’s probably the hardest I’ve ever worked in a session — we were just so on top of it. I was like, “Oh, I really want to impress him.” And then I realized it was whatever, you know? We work well together. For example, when I wrote “666,” I was really, really on top of my game.
Image courtesy of Isabella Cubba
AB: It’s a really great song too, so that’s definitely clear. That’s the song at Paradise Rock Club that some fans freaked out about, which was really fun to see.
Shoemaker: Yeah, that one live — it’s just one of the ones that’s so fun to play. That’s really great — it’s definitely one of my favorite ones to play live.
AB: That’s awesome. Since you base songs on your personal life, does it ever make you anxious to put a song out there? Especially if you know a person involved in the situation is going to listen?
Shoemaker: It should [bother me] more, I’ll tell you that. It really should, more. I do have some nerves, but it is what it is. It used to [bother me], but you kind of get desensitized. [When] you’re signed to a label, they have to send the song [along], they tell you what they think, they tell you, “This is cool!” It sadly, and not so sadly, goes through a machine of people. Then, you kind of forget you [should] send it to your dad, your sister, your best friend. You hear it so many times — depending on the song, of course — there are some songs on my album that I would probably never play live or listen to again just because it’s hard. But yeah, I should think about that more, but I’m glad that I don’t because I just kind of go for it. [Laughs.]
AB: That’s awesome. Sometimes it’s a little therapeutic, you know? You get to speak your truth and it’s out there in the world.
Shoemaker: Yeah, for sure.
AB: Like if you never got closure, this is it.
Shoemaker: For sure.
AB: Do you have plans after the tour, besides the album, that you want to talk about?
Shoemaker: After the tour, I’m going to sleep for three days straight and then go into album mode. I’ll be back in the studio with Constantine and our engineer, Ricky and Ricky’s dog, Archie. We’re gonna go album mode.