Ghana Rising: An exclusive interview with Anna Reynolds.....

Regular readers of Ghana Rising will be under no illusions about my love for the, 'Life Less Ordinary' [what is the point of anything less than fabulous?]. I truly feel that if you have God in your life then the 'ordinary is not an option' and thus, -gravitate towards the extraordinary, the creative, the beautiful, the talented etc, -and Anna Reynolds is not an ordinary gal or musician. This ubertastic chanteuse is 'blowing -up' big stylee and I am excited for her. Beautiful, talented, down to earth -and a style icon in the making, -Anna Reynolds is going Stellar. Her music is 'hot potatoes', 'relevant' and 'now'. And her, 'Who can I trust' is sizzling hot and 'real'. This catchy, chick flick of a tune is an anthem of our times [because every young lady [and man] has asked themselves this question] -and I love it. In fact its kind of hard to stop playing it. Anna's music is sexy -and even though the majority of her songs are not in English -they all have an electrifying verve about them, -especially, 'Electronic' and 'Cool'. I was lucky enough to catch-up with Anna [via email -during her tour, bless her] and the following is an insight into her world. Enjoy....................xx

GR: Hi Anna, thanks for the interview?
AR: Thank you.

GR: You are touring right now [Hamburg, Berlin, Stockholm etc] how's it going?
AR: It's been a refreshing experience so far. After working on the EP's in the studio and not -having been on the road for quit some time now, it feels really good to finally be playing the songs live in front of an audience. It's also great -finally getting live feedback on the new material.

GR: I can't stop playing, 'Who can I trust' - what's the story behind it?
AR: The story behind "Who can I trust" is about the paranoia and fear of being exploited as an artist. It comes with the territory I guess -once a small buzz starts to exist. In the early stages, you feel kinda woundable around people, sometimes called for, -and sometimes not, but [I] guess it comes with the territory for most upcoming independent artist.

GR: Are your songs - autobiographical?
AR: I draw inspiration from everything around me that evokes an emotion inside. People, movies, music, books - you name it. A big part of my songs are autobiographical. Still, sometimes it's based on situations from the past or future, -the topics are not always about present situations though.

GR: Tell us about your band/ band mates -and how you all met?
AR: Well with my producer, Fabian Schmitt, I've been working for many years now, my drummer, Mathias Uredat, and the other lovely young lady, J.-Ann Wilson, in the band -I met thru fellow musicians.

GR: What inspires you?
AR: Everything around me is inspiring for me. I naturally absorb everything that catches my attention, but mostly music and the vibe of urban scene in cities, especially the cities I live and work in; Berlin, Rotterdam and London.

GR: Who has been the biggest influence in your life?
AR: My mother has always been a great influence in my life. She always let me know as a child that I can achieve anything I want to. And then growing up, -basically everything that provoked my interest. Artists that just do their thing, especially those who write, compose and produce their own material.

GR: Your music has a 'Brit-trippy-hoppy-indie' feel. Are you a fan of British music?
AR: Yeah I guess in a way I am. I do have quit a few British artists on my i-Pod playlist, but basically it's that sound, -that mixture of sounds I love regardless where a band is from.

GR: Do you have any London dates planed?
AR: Sadly not yet, but me and my team are gonna keep at it till we get some real soon. I'm sooo looking forward to finally playing in England.

GR: Are you a Ghanaian born in Germany or a German of Ghanaian origin?
AR: I am born in Ghana, raised in the Netherlands and am now currently living in Berlin and Rotterdam. Actually, I also shared an apartment in London at Haverstock Hill for a while, -where I also picked up some great music, -each time I stayed there.

GR: I love your style -it's fierce. How would you describe your look?
AR: OH I actually wouldn't describe it. I usually just throw on something. I love vintage stuff and I'm happy about the upcoming 80's 90's revival, but [I] guess in a way alot of the things I wear are ANNA-ALPHA-BETIC stuff from my clothing label designed and styled by myself. Also, I wear my sister designs PRICCI by Priscilla Reynolds available: www.fashion-fuse.com

GR: Do you have a stylist?
AR: For many years my mother and my sister designed and picked the coolest looks for me, but the last years I've strongly developed my own personal sense of style, which I love most, -so at the moment I am my own personal stylist. Which is very practical.

GR: Who is your style icon?
AR: Well I really love many different styles and have grown in and out of many looks growing up. Costumes from movies like Xanadu inspired me. I generally draw from trends that reflect urban and pop culture. I like eccentric individuals who've got there own swag/look like; Chaka Khan, Grace Jones, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, Sheila E, Michael Jackson, David Bowie or Madonna and the list goes on & on to -Kate Moss, Karen O, Santigold, MIA, Lilli Allen, Kylie Minogue and sooo many more.

GR: Name your favorite designer(s)?
AR: My mother and sister Eliza & Priscilla Reynolds [also that's a bit bias]. They know my shape best and have designed stuff that fits me perfectly. Otherwise I look out for young upcoming designers, because they tend to represent stuff that reflect the present. At the moment Jeremy Scott, Christian Joy, Zakee Shariff, Stussy, FRUITION LV, PRICCI and of course ANNA-ALHA-BETIC are some of my favorites.

GR: You look good girl. Share your beauty secrets with us?
AR: For my face I use products from the local pharmacy like Effaclar and any kinda day cream, make up Black Opal or Mac. I'm not really a brand kinda girl, if I use a product and it works, -I stick with it for a while till I try something else. I do my own hair and I really don't have any other beauty secrets except that I smile and laugh alot -that's good I hear :-)

GR: Anna is it difficult to look after yourself -on the road?
AR: No not really, but I also have a great team including my band and we're all easygoing people so I'm chilled till it's show time.

GR: On to more serious stuff, -what are your hopes and dreams for Ghana?
GR: My hopes for Ghana, is to lead Africa towards becoming more focused on growing it's economy by trading more, -as the world globalizes. I want to see Ghana play a big active role in bringing more business to Africa.

GR: Thanks for the interview Anna, you are fabulous. ....... God Bless you -always............x