Anie Delgado wrote a self-confessed break up EP that sounds ethereal. Sounds interesting? Because it is! Check it out!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
Kind of actually! My full name is Stephanie Delgado. When I was a kid, my mom tried to get my little brother to call me Anie instead of Steph because he had a hard time with S’s and my mom was thinking of naming me the Italian version of my name Stephania and calling me Anya. Anie never took off then but when I went to performing arts school I started going by Anie because I wanted a fresh start. Now it’s kind of goofy because my family and older friends call me Steph and my fiancé and any friend I made after 2013 calls me Anie.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
Yeah! It all started with the Freaky Friday remake. I don’t know what they put in that movie but it was absolutely Iconic and convinced me I had to learn guitar and join an all girls rock band. Unfortunately I never found my band mates, but I did start learning covers and when I was in middle school I discovered Taylor Swift and that’s when I realized singers can write their own songs.
I started writing songs in my notebook during boring classes like math and would come home and put them to chords.
When I was 18, I moved to New York to study performing arts and I worked all over the industry for a minute but realized that music is my true passion so I moved to LA and put out my first solo song. I was in a funny experimental rock band before that.
How would you describe your sound?
People always describe it to me as ethereal. Even this new project which I feel is a little darker. I would say that my music is always grounded in songwriting with ethereal, textured production.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
Of course, there’s no denying the huge impact Taylor Swift has had on young songwriters. She’s had a major impact on me. From listening to her, I discovered the greats that came before her like Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Carly Simon. I also listened to a lot of rock as a kid with my dad like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. I think their unique production and arrangements inspired the more experimental tone of my songs. In recent years I’ve become obsessed with artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. I really admire their songwriting.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Papi Bones by FKA Twigs and shygirl
What’s your source for hearing new music?
Honestly going to festivals. I go see my favs but I always end up being turned on to artists I never knew about. I went to This Ain’t No Picnic and discovered TSHA an amazing DJ.
I went to Coachella and although I already knew a little bit about Princess Nokia she quickly became a favorite.
At Portola this year, I went to Channel Tres’ show and became a super fan.
Who is your dream producer?
Lol maybe a controversial opinion but I love Jack Antonoff. I don’t think it should be a controversial opinion because I think he makes pop songs sound so interesting sonically. I also love synths so.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Gosh Taylor Swift is up there, but honestly Phoebe Bridgers. I’ve seen her live a few times now, I can just tell she loves making and playing music so much. That’s an energy I want to be around.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
I guess in middle school just not relating to a lot of my peers. They were always consumed with what was happening in our small town and I just wanted to get out. I wrote about things like that and it helped me feel less alone at that time.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
This is a fun question because I’m at the start of the process again. I spend the first bit of time when I’m starting a new project collecting inspiration. For this next project I spent a while thinking about what needs to be said, what needs to be said by me, and if it needs to be said now. Once I find the big concept I journal about it and make a list of movies and books and music I want to listen to that inspire me and relate to the themes I am thinking about. Then I start putting together song ideas and write write write until I have my project. The last step which is most tedious is listening to the songs in all different orders and obsessing over the order and if any production needs to change to make the project cohesive. Then voila you have an album.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
I do my best to sit down and answers DMs at least once a month. I live stream on IG and TikTok quite a bit and try to answer all comments. I used to do release zoom parties during the pandemic maybe I’ll bring them back. I’m also hoping to tour next year a little.
Follow me on socials:
Instagram: instagram.com/anie_delgado
Tiktok: @anie_delgado
Twitter: twitter.com/anie_delgado
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aniedelgadoofficial
Youtube: Anie Delgado – YouTube
What’s next for you?
Can’t say exactly what but lots more music coming next year.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
There’s a music video for indie bands + cigarettes out now on youtube!
Bio:
Anie Delgado is a Cuban-American artist and songwriter. Born in Miami, Florida, she grew up in Melbourne, FL and now resides in Los Angeles. Enjoying a colorful childhood with a dichotomy of culture and music, Delgado grew up immersed in her Cuban-heritage by way of dominos, late-night dancing, and blaring traditional Cuban music in the Florida Keys. Upon receiving her first guitar in 4th grade, she spent her adolescence writing songs and later moved to NYC to study at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy.
As an exceptional multidisciplinary artist inspired by the diversity of New York’s music scene, Delgado joined an experimental rock band and gigged with them until she decided to leave the band to pursue a solo career. Having moved to Los Angeles in 2018, she has since exploded into her very own realm of alternative pop. Upon the success of her first single “Galaxy”, Delgado has continued to evolve exponentially as an artist and is now back with her highly anticipated EP You Ruined Forever.
Produced alongside industry newcomers George Gleeson, Gary Dillon, Caziel and Harry Egan, this six-track offering takes a more confrontational direction to its predecessors. You Ruined Forever is a self-confessed breakup album about healing, despite lacking closure. Delgado confides, “The EP is called You Ruined Forever because when I broke up with this person, they shifted the narrative and made me the villain even though I left the relationship because it wasn’t healthy, due to infidelity and personal growth that was needed on his part.” As Delgado takes back her narrative with the determination she displays so brightly, her next release explores breaking up with someone before you’ve fallen out of love, because it’s ultimately the right thing for you.
She continues, “Although the EP has a lot of tones of resentment and nostalgia and clinging to the past, the journey of the EP is that these relationships are what make us. I felt the need to release this project because this relationship shaped my 20s and who I am as a person.” Inspired by the likes of Taylor Swift, Joni Mitchell, and Phoebe Bridgers, she found nostalgia in the streets of NYC. Taking perspectives and personality and pouring them deeply into her EP, Delgado’s echoic vocal energy rises above warming melodies and tender rhythms that exemplify her sublime musicality. Delgado’s worldly wisdom shapes her chronicles in a truly unparalleled way, as she brings the authenticity of her inner journey to the ears of many.
Her single “Dancing While the World is on Fire” was featured in Billboard and celebrated for raising awareness and funds for a youth climate change activism group called Zero Hour. She also donated all of her NYC performance revenue to the Brooklyn Pride Center and performed for the Sunrise Movement to raise money for climate change activism. With streaming numbers hitting the hundreds of thousands, Anie Delgado proves that there really are no limits to her capability.
