Besides being a successful artist, it’s the fact that Anne-Marie’s so real with her 9.1 million Instagram followers that makes her so loveable. To be honest, she’s the same IRL too. I would know, ‘cause I met her when she was on her first-ever trip to India. When the ‘Alarm’ singer flew down to Mumbai—before heading to Pune to perform live for Vh1 Supersonic this February—she was dressed down in sweatpants and an oversized tee, ready for a casual chat about her life. Who is Anne-Marie beyond music, you wonder? The same person, essentially.
ELLE: What got you into music?
ANNE-MARIE (AM): I started singing back when I was younger, and in a musical fair. It made me really happy. Whenever I felt sad or angry, I used to sing, and it soothed me. Naturally, I went on to study music and wrote my first song, and that was it—I fell in love with being able to put down my feelings and add a melody and rhyme to them. I wanted to do that forever.
ELLE: Your songs empower women and inspire them to own themselves. Is confidence something that comes naturally to you?
AM: It’s been a rollercoaster for me. At some points in my life, I feel confident, and sometimes, I don’t. It’s a journey, for sure. I have always been a fighter for justice. People who cannot speak for themselves want me to speak up for them. Insecurities and confidence are going to go up and down because when you’re on a low, you’ll also be on a high, and it’s a bit of a juggle on that.
ELLE: In the past, you’ve opened up about having anxiety having anxiety and panic attacks. Does music help you get through those?
AM: The second-best thing after talking about it with someone else is writing it down in the form of a song, even if that doesn’t end up in an album. It helps me learn how to deal with things. Singing songs, even if they’re by other artists—for example, Christina Aguilera’s ‘Beautiful’—helps. Growing up, I didn’t really like myself, but she told me that I was beautiful. Music is powerful, and my role in life is to give that kind of comfort to people. I want to be their friend when they are not comfortable with themselves, feeling down, or angry.
ELLE: Out of all your songs, which one do you connect with the most?
AM: ‘Perfect To Me’ from my album ‘Speak Your Mind.’ It’s about loving every part of you, even the bits you don’t like
ELLE: What are you working on next?
AM: I’m excited about my third album. After everything we’ve been through in the pandemic–where the whole world was locked in and alone–this album will be like exploding again because now we’ve been let out, and it’s time to go crazy!
