…DIY does not mean doing it alone. I’ve spent years working by myself, and it was so hard. Being in a community with other people trying to do the same thing is huge. You can brainstorm, support each other, and overcome obstacles together. DIY doesn’t mean you have to do everything by yourself…
I had the pleasure of talking with Anne Stott. Anne is a multi-talented artist known for her compelling fusion of music, theater, and activism. With roots in both Cape Cod and New York City, Stott’s work spans genres and mediums, capturing the attention of audiences through her vibrant and incisive performances.
Born near Philadelphia, Stott’s early life was marked by significant relocations, including formative years in England and a subsequent move to Minnesota. This diverse geographical background played a pivotal role in shaping her artistic sensibilities. “I moved to New York City as soon as I possibly could, which was for college,” she recalls, driven by a deep-seated affinity for the bustling metropolis. Her upbringing was steeped in music, despite her parents not being musicians themselves. “There was music on in the house every night,” she notes, crediting this environment for her early engagement with piano and choir.
Stott’s career is a testament to her unwavering dedication to music. After attempting to find fulfillment in conventional employment throughout her twenties, she eventually gravitated back to her true passion. “In my late 20s, I started singing and writing again and haven’t stopped,” she says, highlighting a turning point that set the stage for her subsequent artistic journey.
Her music, described as a bewitching blend of Joni Mitchell’s introspective lyricism and Chrissie Hynde’s edgy rock sensibility, delves into themes of social change and political critique. This unique synergy is evident in her second album, “LOVE NEVER DIES,” which reached #19 on the Relix Magazine radio chart. Stott’s forthcoming third album, “Watershed Synapse Experience,” produced by renowned NYC producer Barb Morrison (they/them), promises to be a milestone in her career. The album’s second single, “Water to Blood,” released on April 19, 2024, is a poignant climate crisis anthem, underscoring her commitment to environmental activism.
Stott’s acting career is equally impressive, with numerous appearances in plays at Cape Cod theaters and roles in independent films. Her involvement in the arts extends to presenting at the inaugural TEDx Provincetown, further showcasing her dynamic range as an artist.
“Water to Blood,” the latest single from her upcoming album, embodies Stott’s dual commitment to artistry and activism. Produced by Barb Morrison, the track aims to inspire action against climate change. Stott explains, “My hope for this song is that it will motivate people who haven’t been engaged in climate change to get more active and it will be a comfort and help rejuvenate those who have been devoting their lives to make change.”
In addition to her musical endeavors, Stott is set to release a dance remix of “I Can’t Hide” on June 21, 2024, a collaboration that reflects her exploration of new musical territories. “A few years ago, I thought to myself, ‘I love to dance and I don’t make any dance music. What’s going on?’” she recalls. This revelation led to a fruitful partnership with Audible Yays (Barb Morrison and producer Bart Schoudel), opening up new creative avenues for her.
Stott’s music is characterized by its eclectic nature, seamlessly blending various styles from indie rock to ambient and jazz influences. This diversity is a reflection of her artistic philosophy: “Every time I write something, I want it to be the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever written. I want to keep challenging myself to go deeper, be more honest, and broaden the edges of my creativity.”
Beyond her artistic achievements, Stott is deeply committed to social and political causes. She believes in the transformative power of music to effect social change. “Music is vibration, and it vibrates through our bodies,” she explains, emphasizing the unique ability of music to penetrate and influence listeners on a profound level.
Stott’s message is clear: “Nobody’s alone. We may not know why we’re here or where we’re going, but nobody has to feel alone with what they’re experiencing.” This sentiment is a central theme in her work, resonating with audiences who find solace and inspiration in her music.
As an artist with a platform, Stott is acutely aware of her potential to inspire and lead. “Our capacity for love and compassion is infinite,” she asserts, advocating for a cultural shift towards greater empathy and understanding. Her vision is one where love and compassion are paramount, reducing suffering and fostering a more just and equitable world.
Anne Stott’s career is a testament to her talent, resilience, and unwavering commitment to using her art for positive change. Whether through her evocative music, powerful performances, or passionate activism, she continues to inspire and engage audiences, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.
Yitzi: Anne, it’s an honor to meet you. Before we dive in deep, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share the story of your childhood and how you grew up?
Anne: Wow, my personal origin story. Well, we moved a couple of times in my childhood, and they were big moves because I was born outside of Philadelphia, but I don’t remember Philadelphia. We left when I was 18 months old. That’s where my family is from on my mother’s side, going way back. But we moved to Europe, and I had some formative years in England. Then we transplanted to Minnesota, and that was a shock to me. I didn’t have any memory of being American or of America. We had no family history in Minnesota; we’d never been there. So it was very much like, where am I? What’s going on?
I spent most of my childhood there, but I went to New York City as soon as I possibly could, which was for college. I visited New York City when I was about 8, 9, or 10 to see a great aunt who lived there. I remember thinking, oh yeah, this is it. So I moved to New York as soon as I could. That’s the geography of my childhood.
Yitzi: So let’s hear the next part of the story. What led you to this successful career as a music artist?
Anne: Well, there was always music in the house growing up. That would be the next thing I would say about my origin story. My parents don’t play instruments or sing. They’re not musicians, but they love music. There was music on in the house every night. I played the piano from a young age and then I was in the choir. I spent my 20s trying to find some kind of responsible employment that I cared about as much as music. It didn’t happen. So in my late 20s, I started singing and writing again and haven’t stopped.
Yitzi: You probably have some amazing stories from all your experiences singing and being in production. Can you share with our readers some of your favorite memories or favorite stories?
Anne: Well, I did busk for five summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Provincetown is a tourist town with about 3,000 registered voters, but on any given day in the summer, there are like 70,000 people there. Performing on the street for five summers was a great training ground as a performer because there’s so much going on around you. You have to really take up your space. I love a stage and a spotlight, but when nobody gives you a stage or a spotlight, and you have to create it with your energy, you find something in yourself that you didn’t know was there.
There were a lot of difficult experiences, but on any given day, there was always a really beautiful human interaction that was a surprise or unexpected in some way. There was always a lovely connection with another person that was just about a pure love of music. I feel so grateful to have had those experiences.
In the studio, I love the happy accidents. I love it when we make a mistake and then realize, wait, that’s the answer, that’s the thing we were looking for. We didn’t know we had to make a mistake to find it. Those are really fun experiences.
Thinking back to a recording experience with Barb Morrison, there was one of our last days in the studio. The engineer was tweaking something and said, “Maybe this is a little too dramatic.” Barb replied, “I don’t think Anne’s worried about being too dramatic.” We all burst out laughing. No, no, no. I’m happy to be as dramatic as we can all be.
Yitzi: It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers.
Anne: Oh, it’s so true. And also our failures can be our greatest teachers. In our culture, we’re so goal-oriented that there’s a lot of shame and judgment around failing or making mistakes. But in the creative process, there’s just so much good stuff there. It’s about getting past my own training of thinking, “Oh, I made a mistake” or “I didn’t do as well as I thought I would,” to see what you can learn and how you can grow from those mistakes.
Yitzi: Do you have a story about a humorous mistake you made when you were first starting out and the lesson you learned from it?
Anne: Let me think. Well, my first real show, I opened for someone else and bit off more than I could chew at the time. I didn’t do as well as I wanted to. There’s nothing funny about this, but I felt really demoralized and disappointed. The next morning, I woke up and thought, “I just have to work harder, that’s all.” It was an important moment because I could have said, “Oh, I guess this isn’t for me.” But I found a deeper level of determination and desire from that moment.
I’ll tell you a humorous story. Early on, when I started singing again, I did a lot of open mics in New York City. My second gig was at this place called the Orange Bear. It was a total dive that’s not there anymore. It was on Murray Street in the financial district, before it was a place where people lived. The streets were empty at night except for this one bar. The owner was a really sad, sort of washed-up guy, and there were weird murals on the wall. Yet, there was a great crew of starting-out musicians who cared. There was an open mic every week, and if you weren’t terrible, he’d book you for a show.
My first flyer said, “At the Orange Bear: Nobody’s Neighborhood, Everybody’s Train,” because all the trains converge through the financial district. I think of the Orange Bear fondly and am sort of sad it’s not there anymore.
Yitzi: None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Do you have a story about a particular person who opened up a door for you or created an opportunity that had a long-lasting impact?
Anne: Well, three things come to mind.
I’ll go back to the busking. I still vividly remember days when I felt like, “Oh my God, what am I doing out here? Where is this going? What’s going to happen? Is anyone going to put a dollar in my bucket?” There were a couple of moments when someone would come along, look me directly in the eye, and say something like, “Thank you,” “You’re doing great,” or “Please keep singing.” Clearly, it touched me because years later, I can still remember those people.
In terms of acting, I had acted in high school and some in college, but then I dropped it and focused on making music. My friend David Drake, who I met in Provincetown, cast me in a play. He asked, “Do you want to be in a play?” David won an OBIE for his show, *The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me.* He’s a very serious theater artist who used to be based in New York City and is now based here. He put me in a play, and that was the beginning of me starting to act again. He really believed in me, even though I hadn’t been on stage as an actor in a long time, and that absolutely changed the course of my life without a doubt.
Lastly, working with Barb Morrison, who produced this album, has been impactful. I love everyone I’ve worked with on all the albums and feel only gratitude to all of them, but Barb really gets the songs on another level. They personally love the songs, and our styles overlap more than the people I’ve worked with in the past. There’s an energy that can happen together that’s deeper, and Barb’s investment in the work gives me energy. Barb has had a big impact on me in making this album together. It’s Barb’s birthday today, so happy birthday, Barb! Not that they’ll see this today, but yeah, Barb’s been important for sure.
Yitzi: Can you tell us a bit more about the exciting projects you’re working on now and what you’ll be releasing in the future?
Anne: Yes, I have a new album coming out called “Watershed Synapse Experience.” The album will be out in September. I’ve already released two singles, “Born Under a Full Moon” and “Water to Blood.” The next single, which is a dance remix, is coming out on June 21st. The single is called “I Can’t Hide,” and I’m really excited about it.
Barb has really impacted my life here. A few years ago, I thought to myself, “I love to dance and I don’t make any dance music. What’s going on?” It was a thought that floated in and out. Then Barb and I made this album, which is much more like an indie, alt-eclectic rock-pop album because I genuinely make that music. But Barb does dance remixes with Bart Schoudel in LA, and they suggested we do a dance remix of one of the songs. I was like, “Yes, we should.” So this whole new musical world is opening up for me.
There will be another single out in August, and then the album will be out in September. It will stream everywhere you stream music. I’m really excited about it because every time I write something, I want it to be the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever written. I want to keep challenging myself to go deeper, be more honest, and broaden the edges of my creativity. With these songs, I got in touch with some of my deepest wishes for life and the world. I’m expressing something much more directly now than I ever have before, and I’m excited about that.
The way Barb and I made the music is really true to what the songs should sound like. The sound of the album is so exciting to me. It’s pretty eclectic. I’m usually skeptical of people labeling themselves as eclectic, like, “Oh, great, you think you’re quirky and different, but are you really different?” But I’ve had it mirrored back to me from a lot of people that these songs are pretty unique. They span various styles, from radio-ready pop to rock, to an ambient, moody call to the muses, and even an almost jazz piano-based tune. There’s a range on the album that I’m really excited about.
Yitzi: If you could take all of your songs and lyrics, put them together in a bucket, and mix it with a blender, what would be the overall message or motif from your music?
Anne: That nobody’s alone. We may not know why we’re here or where we’re going, but nobody has to feel alone with what they’re experiencing.
Yitzi: Many of your songs address social and political issues, and it’s well-known that music has the power to affect social change. In your opinion, what is it about music, more than other forms of art, that makes it so powerful in promoting change and improvement?
Anne: Well, that gets back to why music is so powerful in general. Many artists from other mediums will say music is the ultimate art in some way. From an intellectual perspective, I think it’s about vibration. Music is vibration, and it vibrates through our bodies. If someone can write words with a message and then put it to these vibrations that literally shift our bodies, that message is going to get in a way that it might not otherwise.
I do think other pieces of art have a significant impact. I’m thinking about something like “Do the Right Thing” by Spike Lee, which was a before-and-after moment in terms of discussing police brutality and racism in our country. It spurred a ton of debate. But I think so many people listen to so much music, and because music vibrates and we vibrate, it can get inside us in a way that might be harder with other media. I’m getting a little metaphysical, but you know, it can penetrate uniquely.
There’s also a long history of music expressing people’s truths, like work songs from the slave South and the blues. Since the 60s and 70s, there’s been an understanding that people express themselves politically through music. It’s almost expected now, and people look for it. Since the 80s, with the rap tradition, this has been happening regularly, too. People look for political expression in music, and on top of that, music can be motivating. People who are already politically engaged want music that helps them keep moving forward.
Yitzi: That’s great, beautiful. Okay, so this is our signature question. You’ve been blessed with a lot of success and experience now. Looking back to when you first started as a music artist, do you have five things that you know now that you wish you knew when you first started?
- Pay no attention to the rejection. This would be the biggest thing. I paid a lot of attention to the rejection, and it slowed me down in a big way. Even when some things were doing well, there was enough rejection still going on that I was like, “Why is there rejection?” So, pay no attention to the rejection.
- It’s all about the songs. I knew this then, but I’m more solid in it than ever now. It’s just all about the songs.
- There are no limitations. When I started, I was very aware of my lack of experience and my limitations. I thought that was just me, but I’ve learned that I can learn and grow whatever I need to. There are no limitations.
- Always be working on your craft. In the indie music world, there’s a lot of business coaching, which is great, but you must keep honing your craft. The creative process demands experimentation and no judgment. As an indie artist, you have to be your own editor, step back, and assess if your work says what you want it to say. If you’re not constantly improving, nobody else will do it for you. People can get caught up in business advice and put the cart before the horse. The creative process is essential. You need to ensure you’re continually improving and refining your work.
- DIY does not mean doing it alone. I’ve spent years working by myself, and it was so hard. Being in a community with other people trying to do the same thing is huge. You can brainstorm, support each other, and overcome obstacles together. DIY doesn’t mean you have to do everything by yourself.
Yitzi: Amazing. Can you share with the readers the self-care routines that you do to help your body, mind, and heart to thrive?
Anne: Oh, my God. The list is so long. It takes a village. I get a lot of help. I’m a huge believer in meditation. I find it life-altering. I aim to meditate every day, and I manage about five to six days a week.
I also do some form of exercise four to six times a week. Sometimes it’s yoga, and sometimes it’s straight-up interval cardio — just 20 minutes to get my heart going. I like taking walks. I live in a beautiful place, and I think looking out beyond where we are is powerful and healing. You can do this anywhere, even in a city. Moving and looking together is very healing.
I’m currently going to a chiropractor because I have some back issues. I also read a lot of astrology and get help from astrologers. I’m a big believer in astrology. I’ve done all the other stuff too — I’ve gone to therapy. I’m not in therapy right now, but I’m a big believer in it.
Our culture often says to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and just get it together. But I think, get help. Why suffer alone? There’s no reason to suffer alone, yet a lot of people do. So, for me, meditation, astrology, walking, and exercising are very big parts of my self-care routine.
Yitzi: So, okay, this is our final aspirational question. Anne, because of your amazing work and the platform you’ve built, you’re a person of enormous influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be?
Anne: That our capacity for love and compassion is infinite. Infinite. This is tricky because there’s injustice, and there are people perpetrating injustice, and that needs to be named. I don’t engage in a sort of both-sides, like, “Oh, everybody just needs to love each other.” They do. But on a personal level, we already have so much love and compassion inside us that’s just there. We don’t have to work for it. We don’t have to try. We don’t have to force it. We are it. If our culture taught that, instead of teaching about wars, fights, and conflicts, we would have more love and compassion, and there would be less suffering.
Yitzi: So beautiful.
Anne: Thanks for the question. That’s what came up today.
Anne: Well, it’s been an honor to meet you. How can our readers continue to follow your work? How could they purchase your music? How can they support you in any way?
Anne: The best way to connect with me is to join my email list. From there, you’ll find out about all the things I’m doing. It’s not dependent on the algorithms, which are fickle and hard to control. So, go to my website, join my email list, and you’ll get free stuff, merch deals, and find out about live streams and all kinds of other things. From there, you can learn about listening to my work on different platforms or how to buy CDs and albums. This one’s coming out on vinyl too, which I’m so excited about. So, sign up for my email list.
Yitzi: Well, Anne, it’s been a pleasure to meet you. I wish you continued success and only goodness. I hope we can do this again next year.
Anne: Thank you so much. It’s been really nice to meet you too. I love your questions and appreciate the coverage. Take good care, and I really, really appreciate and admire your work.
Yitzi: My pleasure. Thank you so much. That means a lot.
Music Stars Making A Social Impact: Why & How Anne Stott Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.