Biography
IN HER OWN WORDS
1. My father plays many different instruments. Among them are various forms of guitar, flute, and drums. My mother improvises beautifully on the piano, so between the two of them, I grew up in a home that greatly encouraged music of all genres: jazz, classical, folk. I'm not sure if there was a definitive moment in my childhood when something clicked inside of me and told me that I was destined to become a singer/songwriter. My first dream, in fact, was to be on Broadway. Indeed, people have told me that some of my songs sound as if they could be showtunes. Dreams of Broadway gradually evolved and morphed, and when I met my voice teacher, Ridley Chauvin, when I was in 8th grade, he was the one who heard my songs and told me I had a chance to make songwriting a career. From then on, this new dream took flight and, thankfully, was not shot down but rather was allowed to fly.
2. One day back when I was in middle school I played an original song for my family. Upon finishing, my Aunt Judy exclaimed that I sounded a lot like Tori Amos. The name sounded familiar but hardly rang any bells, so I merely smiled politely and accepted the compliment. But when the comparison to Tori was drawn repeatedly by different people, I realized I had to find out who this woman was. I listened to her song "Winter" and was blown away. Immediately, I asked my father to buy me a book of her piano scores so I could become even closer to the miraculous songstress. Now, I credit Tori as being my greatest inspiration, and although I started writing songs before I had heard her own, her style, passion, and haunting voice have left a lasting impression in my mind. Today, I strive to be like her and someday inspire someone the way she has inspired me.
3. I could muster a whole slew of words to describe what it was like to make my first CD. Amazing is one. Frustrating is another. Incredible, painstaking, eye-opening, heart-wrenching--all of these fit, because creating the CD took two years, and over those two years I probably felt every emotion possible. There were times when I would get in front of the microphone to record and I would literally be bouncing on the balls of my feet in excitement. Other times, I would break down after the seemingly hundreth take of one vocal line and rush outside to take a breather. It was hard work, but I'm not complaining; without a doubt, I'd do it again in a second. Having the opportunity to record my own songs in a professional studio was mind-blowing, and it gave me a chance to learn a lot about myself both as a musician and as a person. I found that I am impatient, stubborn, and defensive. But I also found that I am strong of body and of mind, for I would always push past the fatigue and frustration, and I would sing until my throat was sore. My manager and producer of the CD, David Perry, was, at times, what I was not: he was patient and understanding. He plucked me up when I was just 14, put me down in front of the mic and wouldn't let go of my hand until the very end. And I'm so glad he didn't, because now I have something I am immensely proud of, and I wouldn't trade that in for anything.
4. I have horrible stage fright. Most people don't know that about me because, as I'm told, I look completely at ease on stage. But secretly, I am shaking and nauseous and dying to run away and hide. It's silly because I've been performing since I was 5, but performing my own songs has made everything signifcantly harder. My biggest problem is being able to converse casually with the audience between songs. "How can I even feign nonchalance when my mouth is dry and my voice is quavering?" I think to myself. I've heard it takes practice, but I still feel like a fool when the song ends and I've got hundreds of eyes staring at me. Before a gig I had a few months ago, I actually planned out what I was going to say. During the performance, I stuck to my mental script, though I did manage to add in some spontaneous comments here and there. When the show ended, one of my friends told me that he could tell I was trying too hard to be funny, and that those sponteous comments I had inserted had actually won the truest laughter. Go figure.
5. I dream of travelling, of becoming a better performer and musician. I'd love to collaborate with other singer/songwriters. I want to learn guitar. Maybe get into fashion. Or Broadway. Create many more CDs. Continue to write songs, but find topics other than love, unrequited or otherwise. Yes, I dream of fame, of being recognized and idolized, but I also dream of staying grounded. Keeping close friends. Providing for my family. My biggest wish, though, is to be happy, and frankly, as long as I get to keep doing what I love, I don't see how I couldn't be.
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"I was in third grade and on top of the world. Friends galore, cute boys, what more could a 9-year-old want? A band, that’s what. We were called Pharaoh, at least for about two minutes. Our name changed more that year than our wacky hairdos but that kept us cool. We wrote songs about getting married and dating and makeup, things we couldn’t have possibly fathomed the importance of, but we tried anyway.
I remember one day we played a song for our class, and those cute boys who said they liked me began to laugh and point their grimy fingers when we sang the word “love”. I tried hard to keep the tears from flowing but my eyes were weaker then and couldn’t hold them in. So I wrote.
Not about beautiful love or how wonderful boys were. I wrote about loneliness and feeling like an outcast, about how boys were horrid and girls even horrid-er. Sometimes there would be a wistful tune about a better time when my prince would come but it quickly got lost in the handfuls of sorrow I’d throw into my piano each day. By the time I reached ninth grade, I was a jaded 14-year-old ready for something to happen. And it did".
Ananda Rose