“Holy Smokes!” Introducing Anna Bates
California native singer/songwriter Anna Bates has always been a storyteller.
Drawing influence from experiences spanning from her religious upbringing to her travels across the United States, Bates developed an impressive portfolio of poetry, songwriting, and illustrations. At only 22 years old, she has released a number of acoustic singles, and is dropping more songs leading to her upcoming debut EP .
Bates describes her sound as “indie folk campfire storytelling vibes.” Her sweet, angelic voice floating over dreamy, laid back instrumentals provides a perfect soundtrack for anything from a picnic in the park to a breakdown in the bathroom.
From a young age, Bates was immersed in the world of music and storytelling. She was trained in classical piano at the age of 8, and continued to expand her talents in the world of music throughout high school. Her love for instruments and songwriting even led to the production of EDM music in her bedroom as a teenager.
EDM was just one step in her musical evolution. “I was in a really crappy garage rock band,” Bates told us, saying the first show she ever played was at a Chick-fil-a. Though the band may not have taken her very far outside of her hometown, things were on the horizon for Bates as she went off to college.
Bates left California for the music hub that is Nashville, TN. While studying the music industry, she recorded her first two singles “Out on the Line” and “Margot” in the bathtub of her dorm room. In addition to producing these tracks on her own, Bates also designed the cover art, thanks to her passion for illustration. While in college, she realized her appreciation for an intimate, collaborative production process. She’s found that she prefers a smaller recording experience and creating meaningful relationships with the people she works with. “You also went through the same bullshit that I went through,” said Bates about finding the right collaborations, “and now we can create something cool together, because we both relate on this weird, personal level.”
Initially Bates had her doubts about the viral nature of her breakthrough. “At first, I was like, does this mean I’m not a real musician?” she mused. But she quickly found a supportive community full of other creative people online. She realized that many people share that same anxiety that comes with leaving college to pursue a music career full time. Bates still posts frequently on Tik Tok. “I think the connection, and the encouragement that you find through social media, even if you don’t meet people in person, is really important.”
The internet can be a scary place, especially when showcasing your art. Bates has had her fair share of experiences with criticism on the internet since posting her first video on Tik Tok, but hasn’t let it stop her. “I had to get to a point where I was like, I love me, and I love what I do.” She’s found that the positives of posting her music have far outweighed the negatives.
When asked about why she writes, Bates replied that her motivation is people. “Even mattering to one person’s life is so precious and so cool– that’s worth it.” In her first three released songs, Bates discusses topics from travel and past relationships, to religion and marijuana. No matter the situation, Bates says the ability for someone to feel heard through her lyrics is enough to make all of the struggles and anxieties of a budding music career begin to fade.
The singer’s new EP is all about self-discovery. “Most of the EP is influenced definitely from my religious upbringing,” she said, “and kind of deconstructing, and finding out who you are.” At only 22, Bates says she still has a lot to learn. But, she embraces her experiences and pours those emotions into her music.
She’s found “people crave authenticity.” After recalling an experience where one of her followers reminisced over the death of her husband after listening to her song, she realized that “everybody has gone through something [and] these people open up, because you’ve had the courage to be vulnerable yourself.”
Along with her musical projects, Bates keeps a poetry blog. While she covers similar topics in her poems, she says her poetry is more personal to her, because she doesn’t need to think about how an audience might respond to her pieces. Her poetry allows her to let out “a rambling stream of words” that are specific to her own experiences. She highlights the work of Marie Howe in her book What the Living Do, a book of confessional poetry, as a poetic source of inspiration. It is obvious that both Bates’s poetry and lyrics pull from Howe’s courage to be open and vulnerable with her audience. Bates also draws inspiration from other famous poets-turned-songwriters such as Bob Dylan and indie rock band Lord Huron.
At the end of the day, Bates’ work shows her value of making her audience feel heard. “Why not go over to the bright side? Make some human connections!”
