Review Fix chats singer/songwriter Brielle Ansems, who discusses the creative process and goals for her debut album, This New Hurricane, which is set for a March 6 release.
Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?
Brielle Ansems: My parents have always had a vibrant respect and enthusiasm for music, so my brothers and I were raised with a constant soundtrack. Some of my earliest memories are of waking up to Phil Collins’ ‘Face Value’ blasting from the stereo while my mom cleaned the house, or watching my dad cooking (and dancing) in the kitchen to the best of Jim Croce. It felt like a natural transition from listening to performing. I started singing publicly when I was seven years old, learning piano at eleven, and guitar at thirteen. Soon after came songwriting, and eventually I realized it wasn’t just a hobby, it was a vocation.
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Ansems: I tend to withdraw when I write. It’s typically a very personal, internal process of self-discovery for me, and I can get very distracted and quiet when I can feel something trying to come to the surface. I was an avid reader as a child, and it instilled in me a profound love for language. Oftentimes, I’ll latch onto a particular image or turn of phrase that I can’t shake until I build a song around it. I’ll shut myself up in solitude for a few hours and work until I feel a sense of clarity again.
Review Fix: What inspires you?
Ansems: I’m inspired by pain, to be morbidly honest. The songs I write— even the brighter, more hopeful ones— usually grow from heartache and loss, and a desperate longing to turn that hurt into something meaningful. Making art from injury is what helps us heal.
Review Fix: What does music mean to you?
Ansems: Music is so deeply engrained in my identity that it’s hard to describe just what it means. I think when it comes down to the bare bones of it, I simply wouldn’t exist without it. It’s gotten me through so many moments of darkness— times when I felt like I was drowning and the only thing keeping me sane was pouring some of that horrible loneliness out into a song. Both listening to and creating music brings me closer to understanding myself and my place in the world.
Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?
Ansems: I would probably describe my sound as “cathartic folk-pop with a hint of r&b.†I’m influenced by artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Jason Isbell, and Sam Cooke, to name a few. I’d like to think of my sound as the musical equivalent to a deep tissue massage— it’s often painful, but hopefully it hits the knots in you that need attention, and leaves you feeling cared for and just a little more aware of yourself.
Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?
Ansems: My produced sound allows me to carefully layer instruments and harmonies to curate a very rich, atmospheric experience. If you come see me live, you’ll likely see me let loose a bit more vocally, leaning into my belt and into the energy of the audience. For me, there’s nothing quite as intimate as opening up your soul to an audience that’s right there to breathe it all in and let themselves be affected. I think that desire for connection becomes very clear in my live shows.
Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?
Ansems: I have a friend who went through something very difficult a few years ago. It put a strain on our relationship, and I struggled for a long time with feeling like I was failing to be the person she needed me to be. “More Than My Heart†was born out of a need for forgiveness, both from her and from myself, for not being able to take on her burdens for her. Love often feels like it falls short of the expectations we have of it, but sometimes we simply don’t have anything more to offer.
Review Fix: What are your goals for 2020?
Ansems: My main goals of 2020 are to continue building up my body of work, and to keep stoking the fires of the fan base that this new record has ignited. I‘d like to have gone on at least one national tour before the year is out.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Ansems: Rolling out This New Hurricane is the top of the to-do list right now. I’m deep in the trenches of learning just how real the “labour†part is in “labour of love.†Once the record is released, I’ll have some time to promote it and soak in the experience, and then if all goes according to plan, I’ll be heading back into the studio to record another album. The next project I have in mind is an even larger undertaking, but I’m fortunate enough to have some wildly supportive teams at my back.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Ansems: This project would not be what it is without the faith shown in me by so many people. I have an incredible community of family, friends, and industry members that has provided me with fathomless love and support. The list is too long to include here, but rest assured, I will be singing their praises at every opportunity for the foreseeable future.
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