Anna May - Full Bio : 

Atmospheric folk. phD in breakup songs. Meditative Moodscapes. Anna May is an internationally acclaimed, award winning folk artist.

Alternative tragic Americana, invocations for peace & judgment reshaping with bleeding heart stream of consciousness poems ~

 Anna May is an eclectic artist whose songs bear a placelessness that lends to their timeless nature. 

The deep exploration of heartbreak and trauma has been an ongoing quest throughout Anna's work. Her lyrics have been heavily textured by a lonesome whimsicality that finds itself most at home in the vastness of the American West or in landscapes of stark frontiers. Anna's music honors the nomadic spirit with memory, meditation & fresh interpretations of folk music and jazz influence. She honors a hope to enhance connection, humility, healing, and joy among people in the process of parting with typical genre rules.

One of Anna's primary artistic goals is to play with genre & create a sense of fluidity and expansion within the genre of folk, integrating thought provoking elements of jazz and experimental, allowing music to be a connective force for change and for good, combining the traditional with the avant garde.

With a penchant for bright dreams and small towns, folk ballads and cosmic, experimental dreamscapes, Anna’s music sails and soars with a genre defying fluidity that is entirely unique, with a vocal quality that touches something so deep and visceral. Her music is sadness, joy, love, insecurity, hopelessness and assuredness, all at once, mirroring the complexity of our human experience. Experiencing Anna’s songs is like conquering difficult hurdles and coming out on the other side with revitalized sense of hope, peace and renewal. She expertly mingles hope and despair, while crafting innovative songs that harness folk music in a jazz format.

 Anna's lyrical sensibility is steeped in wisdom, and layered with evocative musicality and metaphysical embroidery while eschewing the mainstream & parting with platitudes. Anna explores both estrangement and connection while taking cues from artists like Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Billie Holiday, Shawn Colvin, Neil Young, Jim Morrison, the Mamas and the Papas, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Mazzy Star, kd Lang, Tom Waits, and many more. Anna has been compared to artists like Jeff Buckley & Aimee Mann, and seeks to tilt outside of the folk genre to achieve a multi dimensional soundscape.

 Anna is a dancer, music teacher, organist & poet, as well as a seemingly perpetually touring artist who loves to be fed inspiration by new destinations, creating music with emphasis on personal connection to place, & allowing for metaphysical elements to filter in, with the entirety of her work produced by Steve Rizzo at Stable Sound Studios. 

Anna's love for the organic nature of live performance cannot be matched, but she savors the quietude of her minimalist approach to recording. Her next full length album since 2022's Detach is currently in the works. Since September 2024, Anna has released five critically acclaimed singles, The Show, Elegy, The Cliff, Fireflies and Buffalo, and Atom Bomb. Anna's first, anticipated single of the year is Crying at Erewhon.

She steps into the new year with genuine momentum with her upcoming single, a sarcastic breakup song that is clearly country pop departure from her previous work, that captures the emotional honesty and songwriting skill that have been turning heads across the genre. Performed by Anna May and written by Anna herself, Crying at Erewhon is her emotional response to a breakup text received at a popular wellness outlet in LA. It has an upbeat hit potential, and is hooky. Full of biting wit, Anna is sometimes said to have a PhD in breakup songs. 

Anna says of the song : “When I first wrote Crying at Erewhon, I wanted a recording that reflected the analog echo & golden brimmed recordings of LA icons like the Mamas and the Papas, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, etc to really give the song the glistening glow that it deserved, but I decided that it would be too dated and I wanted the song to sound like something brand new. I think that it does in its current incarnation.”

Sample lyrics

But the girls in the nosebleeds

You know them so well

In a glittering jacket you cast your spell

But would you really look that swell?

If it weren't for all that hair gel

I'm crying at Erewhon, you're long gone

Crying at Erewhon

 

Referred to as "emotive lyricism" by Americana UK and compared to artists like Jeff Buckley and Mazzy Star, Anna creates her own brand of atmospheric folk music.  

Her lyrical sensibility is steeped in wisdom, and layered & evocative musicality and metaphysical embroidery while parting with genre rules. She expertly mingles hope and despair in a blend of genre defying fluidity.

Anna's song Elegy, an ode to San Diego and received national attention and critical acclaim, featured by Ones to Watch, Ditty TV, and Americana UK. 

In 2025, Anna opened for Ariel Pink at House of Blues San Diego, and was a featured artist at the esteemed Art of Elan music series at San Diego Central Library. Anna has opened for acclaimed artists like Kacy Hill, Jolie Holland, Amythyst Kiah,  Altan, Jacob Jolliff, Gold Celeste, Vinyl Williams, and Stella Prince and has performed at notable venues like The Coach House Concert Hall, City Winery Boston, Camden Opera House in Maine, The Freight in Berkeley, and the Wildflower Arts and Music Festival.

Anna's single Atom Bomb was premiered by Under the Radar Magazine, featured on Holler Country's Best of Country playlist, and featured by Earmilk, Popdust and Music Connection Magazine. She has been a featured guest on NPR's Great American Folk Show, WKU PBS Lost River Sessions and on the WDVX Blue Plate Special and her song The Show was chosen as song of the day on KUTX in Austin.

Despite being a native of New England, Anna has existed in many places in her life that have all sharpened her artistic integrity. The various environments she has expanded into have greatly informed her songwriting perspective and have widened her lens. Her favorite places have been Colorado, New Orleans, Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Bay Area, Portland, Nashville, Los Angeles, and most recently, San Diego.

 

Her songs are tender, immersive, moodscapes & a deep dive into introspective, meditative states while exploring the fragile intersection of nature & humanity. Ethereal & whimsical, sensitive & heavy, Anna blends the musical influence of her classical,  & jazz rooted upbringing, into a wholly unique creative trajectory. From her childhood spent submerged in sonic textures, to teenage years discovering visionaries of authentic expression, like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, Anna has over time deepened the resonance, resolve and clarity of a voice that is distinctly her own and that craves truthful expression. She has as much an affinity for jazz and fifties pop as she does for folk & 90s alternative, all serving to enhance the understated and subtle power of her songs. Anna's mission is to provide a meditative, immersive, thought provoking experience for listeners, where the motivation is intentional listening with the goal to become more in touch with inner self, and deepest held desires, and for the purpose of practicing greater compassion and peace. She hopes for the experience of her music to be reflective and introspective for listeners; something both light and heavy. Songs are lengthier than average, to allow space for deep, transcendent experiences to happen.

Anna's quest through music is to harness the healing medicine of meditation, and to hope in the landscapes of oppression. Anna has opened for artists like Ariel Pink, Jolie Holland, Kacy Hill, Maggie Koerner, Amythyst Kiah, The Arcadian Wild, People Museum, Jann Klose, Altan, Michigan Rattlers, Kyran Daniel, Jacob Jolliff, Gold Celeste, Vinyl Williams, and Stella Prince.

Anna's single Elegy was premiered by V13 Media and has been featured by Ones to Watch, Ditty TV, Americana UK, San Diego Reader, Prairie Public Radio, Grateful Web, Paul Dettman, KXFM Laguna Beach, Tinnitist, Out the Box Music, Soundsplore, BFF.FM, Sisters in Song Podcast, Indie B & B Podcast. In 2024, Anna was a featured guest on NPR's Great American Folk Show, on WKU PBS Lost River Sessions. 

Her song, The Show was chosen as song of the day on KUTX in Austin in August 2024. In 2024, Anna was nominated for Best Americana Act at the New England Music Awards. In 2024, Anna was featured on the WDVX Blue Plate Special, on Radio Venice & at Breaking Sound Los Angeles, and has been a featured guest on the Dreamgaze Overtone show on KXFM with Louella Arrows and on KXLU Los Angeles' Americana show, The Wildwood Flower Radio hour.

 

Anna's music has been featured in publications like Popdust, Earmilk,  Americana UK, on KEXP, No Depression, Music Connection Magazine, NY Slice on WFUV, the Graham Coath podcast, The Alternate Root, Grateful Web, zo magazine, the Vagina Singalongs, V13 media, KDVS, Radio Brooklyn, Wild Cat Guitars, the Folk Music Notebook, the Oor Country Show, UK Country Radio, Haiku Reviews, WMFU's Give the Drummer Radio, Face Culture, the Rua Room, Hudson Valley Rag Shop podcast on WVKR, Country Cutler, Portland Radio Project, Wildflowers and Weeds on Xray FM, Freeform Radio Portland, Lost Church Radio, WCNI, WCIB, Pawling Public Radio, Radio SoBro, WHIV New Orleans, WNC Original Music podcast, 92.5 The River, Gnarly Whale Sessions, KRAC in Montreal, KZUM in Nebraska, The Westerly Sun, Indie Boulevard Magazine, C Heads Magazine, Medium, Shout Out LA,  Music Crowns, Music Mecca, Voyage LA, New Noise Magazine, Vents Magazine, Fame Magazine, Skope Magazine, A & R Factory, The Curiosity Hour Podcast, the Something Rather Than Nothing Podcast, Thrive Global, Northern Public Radio, Louder Than War, Authority Magazine, Music Hunger, We Write About Music, Lost in the Nordics, Beach House Magazine, Doppio Magazine, Broken Color Blog, The New London Day,  The CT Post, Vox Wave Magazine, Music City Memo, The Sounds Won't Stop, Luther Locals, Music Matters podcast, She Makes Music UK, Nashville Indie, the old grey cat blog & others. Anna May was nominated for best Indie song of 2023 by Indie Boulevard Magazine. Anna was featured as track of the day in 2024 by The Other Side Reviews and by Radio Venice. Anna has showcased with Breaking Sound Los Angeles, We Found New Music, etc. 

 

Anna has performed at the Art of Elan series at San Diego Central Library, wildflower music & arts festival, treefort music festival, boston arts festival, Sawdust Arts Festival, water lantern festival, Earlville Opera House, trout lake hall, abbey arts in seattle, Whistle Stop Bar in San Diego, Globe Hall in Denver, Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, Desert 5 Spot in Hollywood, Club Passim in Boston, Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, Coach House Concert Hall, Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, Brick and Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco, Volcanic Theater Pub in Bend, Broadway Comedy Club in Manhattan, the Mint in Los Angeles, Spiderhouse Ballroom in Austin, Camden Opera House in Maine, Rockwood Music Hall in New York City, Wall Street Theater in CT, High Dive in Seattle, Tennessee Brew Works in Nashville, Davis Public Library, The Underdog in Nashville, The Cobra in Nashville, Franklin's Main Street Festival, Larimer Lounge in Denver, PNC Live Studio, Camden Public Library, Duxbury Free Library, Snow Library of Cape Cod, Burlington City Arts, the Arts Cafe Mystic, the Folk Project, Cape Cod National Seashore, The Whiskey Room, The Space Ballroom, Folktale Winery, Wadsworth Mansion, Al's Den in Portland, 333 lounge in Brooklyn, Alberta Street Pub in Portland, Florence Griswold Museum in Connecticut, Brooklyn Music Kitchen, Club Car Bar,  City Winery Boston, Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood, and many more. Anna was a performer at the 2025 Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival in Richardson, Texas, at the 2025 Whole Earth Festival in Davis, California. She has also performed at Kilowatt in San Francisco Stella Prince's female folk showcase at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles and most recently, the House of Blues San Diego, opening for Ariel Pink. 

In 2026, Anna has showcased at Bar Lubtisch in West Hollywood, and opened for Jolie Holland with Ricky Berger at Folk Arts Rare Records in San Diego. Anna's music has been presented by legendary Berkeley venue, The Freight, and at the historic Golden Gate Park Bandshell. In 2026, Anna was a featured guest on Live in the Bay on KRON in San Francisco & showcased at Durango Songwriter's Expo. Anna May joined Stella Prince's showcase once again at Harvard and Stone in Hollywood this past year, and opened for legendary western swing band, Asleep at the Wheel across California at Golden State Theatre in Monterey, Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo and at The Coach House Concert Hall in San Juan Capistrano this summer. and later in the year will perform at the Anna has performed at Carlsbad City Library, Davis Music Festival, The Press Room, Topanga Banjo and Folk Festival, Songs in the Canyon, Key West Songwriters Festival, and released her first single, Crying at Erewhon, with Blackbird Record Label with past summer to acclaim by Magnet Magazine, Rotate Magazine, Popdust, Ditty TV, Mundane Magazine, Nola County, Spinheads, Curious Goldfish Podcast, KEXP, etc. Anna is a member of BMI & the Americana Music Association. 

 

Selected Press :

 "With just her sweetly melodic voice and acoustic guitar, May draws us in, captivating us with a hypnotic tune and heartfelt words .. emotive lyricism .. her thoughtful lyrics and tuneful vocals make her an artist to look out for. Absorbing stuff" - Andrew Frolish, Americana UK

"Anna May is making waves as an alternative, tragic Americana artist, carving out a space with her exploration of heartbreak, trauma, and lonely whimsy. "The Cliff” is early turn-of-the-century pop meets 50s doo-wop, with a spark of Elliot Smith and Nick Drake woven throughout. The song starts up with acoustic folk guitar, before Anna May’s warm, silky, Paula Cole-esque vocals move effortlessly through harmonies and some truly lovely tonal acrobatics" - Leo Edworthy, Earmilk

“The sparse instrumentation and song structure combine to a hypnotic effect with an unremitting focus put on May's crystalline vocal tone” - Caleb Campbell, Under the Radar Magazine 

“Anna May has an enormous future. She's just one happy accident away from making a huge breakthrough" - Paul Dettmann, music critic 

"Effortless quality .. Anna May has the confidence to just strum and sing and I could listen to her all day long .. she barely touches the guitar strings. Her mouth barely opens. But what a sound! .. She's very, very good .. Pink Floyd or early Genesis length. Wonderful ten-minuters that lightly caress your ears. .. Sometimes she reminds me of Enya or Clannad. Perhaps Tori Amos .. I have come to think of her as Mary Oliver with a guitar" - Paul Dettmann, music critic 

 "Listening to her is an experience in itself. May’s voice lulls you in like a siren; smooth like butter as it creeps its way into your arteries, entwining your veins in silk and locking you in its embrace. With nothing but a lively ukulele or a haunting electric guitar to accompany her, May manages to capture the human experience in all its glory: freedom, growth, rebirth, unity, reflection, and peace" - Music Mecca

"Literary songwriter Anna May" - Tom Brosseau, Host of The Great American Folk Show on NPR, Prairie Public Radio 

“May's music can be described as whimsical tragic Americana. Folk and jazz meet '90s alternative.            A Janis and Alanis lovechild.” - Jake Petersen, San Diego Reader 

“elegy explores metaphorical and melodic nuances .. her songs are rooted in the traditions of Americana music with many poetic sensibilities but she has a specific soft touch when it comes to her songwriting with the authenticity and humanity clearly shining through everything she composes. Her songs are tender, immersive, introspective, and meditative .. with heartbreak and trauma ongoing themes throughout her songwriting career .. we all experience joy and pain. It's within that space where Anna May really excels as a poet and a songwriter" - Aaron Willschick, V13 Media 

“this rising singer-guitarist-songwriter specializes in what she calls alternative tragic Americana, an unyielding take on the classic Western sound through intimate intersections of jazz and folk .. rest assured, once you fire up “The Show”, you'll be fully engaged in the jam. Because not only does it showcase Anna May's endurance, innovation, and country- adjacent charm on both vocals and six - string, but also the poetic, stream-of-consciousness and scene-setting lyrics that makes old school blues so timeless .. intriguing front to back" - Jack Anderson, KUTX  Austin

“.. Anna May's smoky vocals, creating an atmosphere and style reminiscent of Elliott Smith's self titled second album” - Leo Edworthy, Earmilk

“Sensory centric artist" - Kiley Stokes, BFF.fm

“Gothic folk artist” - Bob Holmes, Across the Horizon podcast (formerly Ambient Country) 

“May forces listeners to pay attention immediately. Such a long song often suffers from an enormous ego and lack of editing, but it is not here. May jumps headlong into the story and never lets go ..simultaneously calming and anxious, I want to know more about this world she creates with her lyrics .. there are too many songs about being a musician, living on the road and navigating expectations. But ”The Show" takes a different approach, using high-price words to create hypocritical descriptions of people-which fits perfectly for a song about pretending to be someone or something we might not be anywhere but on stage. Listen to the song through a few times. It's really smart" - Country Cutler 

“Anna May dives deep into a wellspring of romantic grief in her starkly beautiful and deeply personal new single Elegy ..gently woven from hushed acoustic guitar strumming, angelic crooning and cinematic / poetic lyrics, the candlelit ballad takes us along ..     the vocally rich folk ballad falls squarely within the bounds of her self - coined genre, alternative tragic Americana” - Darryl Sterdan, Tinnitist 

“the multi talented Anna May, as an artist whose unique journey is as diverse and enchanting as her music .. Anna has painted a vivid canvas of life, underpinned by a steadfast intention to cultivate an open, positive environment for those around her. Her journey, both unconventional and inspiring, resonates in the music she crafts and the wisdom she imparts” - C Heads Magazine

 

“Experiencing Detach with its whispery acoustic guitar and May's yearning melodies, is the aural equivalent of having a job tracking clouds across a springtime skies from beside a high country brook where there's always a bottle of nice Chard icing in a bucket nearby” - Rick Koster, The Day