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May 2, 2022

Artist Feature: ANJL

Words by Aniya Washington


Hi, Angel how are you? It's a pleasure interviewing you. I want to ask you about your new song “Come My Way”, how you produced it, and what it's like being an independent artist.


Aniya: “Come My Way” is your new single. Did you have any help producing it, engineering, or Recording it, and if so did it take less time since you had help?



ANGL: This song was a completely collaborative experience, something relatively new for me since the majority of my songs are completely self-produced/written/recorded. I loved working with my friends on this, as they’re also people I respect and look up to in this industry. Angel produced the track, Bennett co-wrote the song with me, and Dawson and Shadow were the engineers behind the song. This was actually the QUICKEST song I’ve ever made, it was entirely made, written, and recorded in one session which was amazing!


Aniya: How long did it take you to write “Come my Way’’, and why did you want to write this song? Does it have any meaning to you?


ANJL: To just write the song, it probably took around an hour or maybe two, to be honest, I can’t remember because not only did we write but the track was being produced at the same time. This song is something I’d say is out of my normal comfort zone for sure, but when Angel, one of my other engineers pulled up the track I was instantly attracted to it. Definitely gave me that summer bad bitch energy vibe to it, and Bennett agreed haha. So we just wrote entirely in that direction to create something fun and uplifting.


Aniya: How did you get into music? Were you around music when you were younger?


ANJL: Music has been my biggest passion for as long as I can remember. When I was 5 my mom introduced me to music by putting me in piano lessons. When she discovered I had an interest in singing as well, she put me into classical Opera vocal lessons at 8 and I continued with that for the next 12 years! I study R&B/Pop music now, but all in all my years of training have shaped my voice/artistry into who I am today.


Aniya: When you were writing “Come My Way” were you liking everything that you were writing down? Did you have to change anything because it didn’t sound right to you?


ANJL: For the most part everything about the song was just coming together effortlessly. There were a few lines throughout the verse that we kept rewriting because it needed that perfect blend of a clever rhyme scheme while maintaining the theme of the song.


Aniya: When you were in the studio recording the song how did it go? Were there any complications? Like any rhythm problems? That you had to redo?


ANJL: The recording process was also pretty seamless and straightforward. We went through the verses and hooks in parts to make sure the feel, rhythm, and overall delivery of each line were spot on! The harmonies/background vocals are always my favorite to record but those take some time to think about and layout. I’d say the part I had to redo the most was probably that speaking part before we go into the second verse lol. The guys told me it would be a dope idea to do some sexyish dialogue in the middle of the song, and let me tell you I was FLUSTERED LMAO. I was so shy and I didn’t even know what to say so that whole part was written by Bennett lmao.


Aniya: As an independent artist do you believe it’s a lot more stressful than being signed?


ANJL: Right now, I enjoy the freedom I have as an independent artist to create things on my own time, especially because I’m still balancing school with music. It’s definitely a goal of mine to be signed to a major recording label, and I know that time will come when I’m ready!


Aniya: What is the hardest part about writing music, and how do you accomplish it?


ANJL: For me, the hardest part is staying inspired. Musicians aren’t inspired all the time, sometimes we get into writer’s block or just don’t have any ideas tbh, and that’s okay. That’s part of being human too. The hardest part is being able to push past that and create even during times like those. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery or surroundings, that helps me overcome feeling stuck.


Aniya: Tiktok has been a huge platform for artists. Do you have TikTok? And if so, do you post anything music-related on there to help promote your music?


ANJL: Yes! My tik tok handle is @anjlmusic. I definitely am taking advantage of the fact that it’s such a huge platform with rising popularity on a daily basis. I think for artists it’s a great platform to use to promote yourself.


Aniya: You have a lot of singles, are you thinking about making an album soon? And would you have anyone on the songs with you?


ANJL: I would love to put out another EP soon, it’s just about finding the right combination of songs to put together. I always told myself I would hold off from putting out a full-length album till I got signed to a major label, and that’s still the goal. But EP’s are definitely on the

table.


Aniya: “Quarantine Queen” seems to be your most popular song with 112,784 streams describing how it was making that song.


ANJL: That song was honestly just something fun and quick I made and wrote with my friend Dane Amar. When making the song immediately I thought he would be perfect for the track. We made it when the pandemic/quarantine was at its peak back in 2020. A scary time for sure when we didn’t know how the virus would affect us. It was important to me to use music to make something enjoyable and happy for people to listen to during a time like that.


Thank you, Angel, it was a pleasure interviewing you!!!


Angel



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