Personal stories and universal themes through song

Transmission 152: Interview with Anna Wolf

Anna Wolf, born in South Africa and now based in London, is an alternative musician, singer with a stunning voice, and enthralling performer. She signed her first record deal at the age of 14. Her musical background spans diverse influences, seamlessly integrating unconventional sounds and striking visuals that define her artistic expression. Anna’s vocal range is extraordinary; she sings creatively, utilizing her voice as a musical instrument to move fluidly through her music.

Title: Free
Artist: Anna Wolf
Release Date: 2024-10-18
Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock
Description: In this interview, Anna Wolf discusses her musical evolution, upcoming 2025 release, and the healing power of songwriting.

“Believer” is the first single and the very first song she wrote under the stage name Anna Wolf; previously, she performed under the stage name Tailor. Anna Wolf, as the composer of her music, uses songwriting to heal old traumas and connect the dots for individuals. She shares her music with passion and style, aiming to help others improve their well-being. Her music has the capacity to transport listeners’ thoughts into a vortex; through her manner of expression, she gives them the freedom to be genuine and approach their personal challenges. She sings softly at times and loudly at others, with each song being a unique work of art that provides an entirely different listening experience from the previous ones. She uses each element of her vocal ability to motivate her audience to find inner strength in dark and uncertain situations.

In her songs, she also conveys that it is normal for humans going through difficult times to acknowledge that it’s okay not to be okay. Throughout her experience in the music industry, she has had opportunities to collaborate with many writers and producers. She is the first South African artist to be awarded the 2019 Grand Prize in the Unsigned Only Music Competition’s history, and she has numerous songwriting awards and accolades under her belt. In 2021, Wolf released the critically acclaimed EP Romance Was Born, which features three songs she performs in Forever Now: “Can I Get High On You,” “Heaven Breathes Out,” and “Dreaming Again.” Forever Now marks Wolf’s acting debut. In October 2024, Anna Wolf released FREE, a song and self-directed video reflecting on breaking free from toxic relationships and embracing personal growth.

Anna Wolf’s official Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram | Spotify

What are your best memories related to music? 

My best memories related to music have to be when I was a kid hanging out with my dad in the living room of our house, listening to all kinds of genre’s ranging from Bach to Marilyn Manson. My dad had a real ear for melody, beats and good songwriting. 

When did you understand that you want to undertake a career in music? 

I just turned 14 years old, it was early 2000. Right in the era of Avril Lavigne and Courtney Love. Had a few guitar lessons, started writing songs and signed my first record deal just a few months after that…

How did growing up in South Africa shape your early music artistic inclinations? 

Many South Africans (I can only speak for my friends and myself) seeked escape from their environment. I grew up in the apartheid era so any form of art that I could hold onto to make me not face what was happening around me usually came from the USA or UK music scene. It was only in my early twenties that I discovered South African artists such as Black Taxi, Johnny Clegg, Brenda Fassi and Lucky Dube..Steadily these genres and styles of songwriting started impacting me in a rhythmic way..

Are there specific stories, people from your life that find their way and narrative into your music, sound and songs? 

Yeah,, almost always. My father plays a big role in my writing at the moment. Sometimes I am intuitively shown what to write, when to release it and who to write it for.. Being spiritual and choosing to top into this part of myself takes me into a vast space of writing topics and specific people. 

Your voice shapes a clear and deep path, can you share about the process behind your creating music and songs from the idea to the final piece?

 It differs every time. I really do like writing in sounds meaning, I would create a humming sound or a “ggg” or “huhuhu” rhythm pattern and from there the lyrics would be born. Sometimes, it’s the good ole simple way, pen to paper with a guitar in hand. 

Are there themes you find yourself revisiting across your projects? 

Life. Death and the stillness in between is a frequent storyline I visit. 

Do they connect back to your life experiences or the way you see life? 

When writing you are essentially writing from both of these aspects as one can’t separate one from the other. As human beings we are here to heal one another so if I feel pulled to write about a specific topic or story it is inevitable that there is something in the other person’s life or journey that resonates with mine. “Seeing” just means aligned which means tuned into, which translates to, all is the same thing. 

How has living in London changed or influenced your creative expression compared to your life in South Africa? 

I have gotten to work with incredible music producers that would not have happened if I still lived in SA. Merely due to the fact that traveling back and forth would have posed to be tricky. Producers like Pete Boxta Marten  and Jamie Morrison are just some of the producers I have gotten to work with. My creative expression has not been inspired any differently from when I lived in SA. It might be a different country but the dynamics are still very much the same. 

Is there a specific message you hope to communicate in your music? 

Most definitely. People including myself need to be reminded that they aren’t alone and that together we are collectively moving forward into the unknown. I trust that my music can be a dot that connects them to the next. 

Do you have a song that you feel more attached to? Not really.

Can you share with us the story behind one of your songs that has a meaningful event for you? All of my work sits on the same playing field…I feel that the listener would probably be able to give a better answer than I can on this question. When I release music, its not mine anymore as it becomes the world’s stories. The moment I release a song it forms millions of different stories….Perhaps this is the story behind all my songs. 

How does your work speak to or challenge contemporary cultural narratives? 

I don’t think of my music in this political way. I’m not here to challenge anything in my music. That’s not why I make music and in fact, if I did make music this way, I would die a sad and lonely person. 

Do you see your art as a bridge that can manage the interplay of  identities? 

Only the listener can answer this. 

Can you share insights about the projects you’re currently working on or planning for the future?

 I am currently working in Nashville at Cash Cabin studio and working with the amazing Trey Call and Joseph Cash. Planning on releasing new songs in early 2025. Also going on tour in April to promote the new single. 

Photos courtesy of Anna Wolf

Dominique Musorrafiti

Ciao! My name is Dominique. I’m Italian and I’m proud to be a mix. My father was an Italian chemical engineer and high school teacher, with Greek and Polish heritage. My mother is Haitian, she was high school language teacher, with Dominican, Spanish, French, Portuguese, African and Native American heritage. Being a mix makes me appreciate to want to understand different cultures and lifestyles. I grew up in Italy, lived few years in Haiti, travel around main European capitals, lived many years in China, in Spain and UK. Traveling makes me feel that we can learn something from every situation in every part of the world.