Anaté is a collaboration between singer & songwriter Ana and producer Andrea. Their musical style is defined by a downtempo influence, yet it covers a variety of genres. Influences recognizable in their music include iconic bands such as Hooverphonic, Massive Attack and Morcheeba on the production side, while vocal melodies and harmonies remind of artists such as Sade, Dido and Amy Lee. Ana, singer & songwriter of the project, lives in Berlin, Germany. She was trained since a young age in classical piano. After finishing high school, she was involved in different musical projects as lead singer/songwriter & keyboards player. Anate kept writing music independently and performing in Paris until meeting Andrea and starting the Anaté project together. Andrea, living in Milan, Italy, takes care of the production. He performed as guitar player with several local bands from early 2000's to 2015, when he decided to focus on producing local artists and writing own music.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hello Anaté. When was the idea to go into music born?
Ana: It was more or less always there. I grew up surrounded by music, be it mtv, rock or classical music (I studied piano since I was 5). I always knew I would be active in that area, just couldn't really put a pin on it. I'm still exploring to this day, and totally loving the process :)
What are your songs about?
Our songs are mostly born out of personal experience or life contemplation, so they can tackle different topics: struggles, fears, dreams, desires, growth, love, life itself... Other times, the songs are just meant to be "feel good" songs - so the "meaning" is more focused on how they make you feel, rather than the message behind the lyrics.
Your latest song is 'I Want You'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
Ana: I remember this song was born like most of our songs usually tend to come to life: I sent a piano idea to Andrea, singing the melody on top, and he was immediately hooked. He totally heard this feel good, pop vibe that would go with it, and I'm glad he did - maybe this was the most "unusual" thing happening - I think it was really the first song where we decided to totally go in the pop direction, which we tended to avoid in the beginning.
Andrea: Yeah, Ana sent me an idea which had an unusual pop feeling and I just followed inspiration.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced?
Ana: I personally face two major challenges : keeping myself inspired (I tend to write out of personal experience and usually during difficult times in my life - so peaceful times weirdly come with less inspiration) & keeping the social media profile alive (it often feels like a chore to constantly post just to keep the algorithm working in your favour - I would much rather post less content but with more meaning).
Andrea: Keeping our sound current. I naturally tend to go for sounds with a "retro" feel, which is ok as a calling card, but not if the production starts to sound old. Listening to a lot of current hits helps.
What does your music studio look like? What is included in it?
Ana: A mic and a piano is all I currently work with on my side :D
Andrea: Uh, there's a lot. I built over time a small but well equipped studio with everything needed for both tracking and producing. You can have a sneak peek at https://www.delman.it/
How do you know when a work is finished?
Ana: Andrea has a big saying in this, since he is the creative mind behind the production, often focusing on the little details.
Andrea: Songs are never finished :) I tend to close when all additional work yields diminishing returns or makes the song worse. Sometimes I get to a point where it sounds more or less done, then I let it sleep in the drawer for a few days or weeks before listening again - this way I usually have a better sense of whether I'm done or not.
What are your long term goals?
Ana: I'd love to keep on writing and also go into producing. A big goal would be to write a banger that would take off like crazy in the online :D Singing live would also be an interesting area to go into, combining it with Dj-ing, a new area I am currently exploring.
Andrea: Nothing really set in stone. I'm enjoying the journey as it unfolds.
Do you have a mentor or coach?
Ana: I love to learn from every artist I encounter, I'm always curious about their own process and ways of working and I learn on the go what fits me best. If I go into producing, for sure Andrea will become a mentor :D
Andrea: Not really, but I have a few "big" producers I take as constant source of inspiration. I follow their work, dissect their tracks...it's basically my way to have a north star to aspire to.
What are your biggest achievements in your career?
Ana: The fact that we have thousands of people scattered across the globe, regularly listening to our songs, is still something that doesn't cease to amaze me. I am grateful every day for the small steps and for the lovely souls that are supporting us!
Andrea: Very similar. And having our tracks spinning on radios around the world is an amazing feeling of accomplishment.
Where is the best place in the world you’ve ever been to?
Ana: Songkul Lake, Kyrgyzstan, watching the night sky at 3000m+. Surrounded by nature, wild horses, staring into a sky filled with stars and contemplating on the wonders of the Universe
Andrea: Probably somewhere in the Alps skiing :)