Annahstasia

Sometimes you search the world over only to discover that what you’ve been looking for was right in front of you all along. For Buskin Records producer Adrian Gurvitz, stumbling across Annahstasia at his son’s school’s open house was just that - a moment of sheer serendipity. As Gurvitz walked the school grounds he heard a stunning soulful voice and was mesmerized by the serenades of Annahstasia. 

“The first time I heard Annahstasia sing I heard in her voice and saw in her soul something completely original…something I have not seen in probably 25 years. She had it - right there, that day.” “But beyond her poetry and incredible creativity, there was this feeling that she came from a different time and era…a feeling of depth and mystery of lives lived long ago.” Adrian recalls. 

Born in Wausau, Wisconsin, Annahstasia grew up in a musical household in Los Angeles. Predominantly influenced by soul and jazz artists such as Curtis Mayfield, Scott Heron, Billy Holiday, Nina Simone, Asa, James Brown, and Tracy Chapman, Annahstasia’s sound is a little bit of soul and blues with psych rock influences. Annahstasia’s pensive, lingering lyrics are rooted in hardship. Annahstasia says that she finds a lot of her inspiration in hardship because, “My music is my art, and art has the function of turning pain into beauty. People love beautiful things and hate painful things. If I can make pain into beauty I can make hardship approachable for people because they are being introduced to it in a beautiful form.”

Although Annahstasia didn’t always envision herself performing, she knew that music would play a major role in her life after she began to write on her own to catalogue and encapsulate her experiences. “When I wrote my first song it was magical. That feeling is hard to put in words but, I can say that it is enough to keep me hooked forever…Music has given me so much in such a short time - hopefully I can give as much or more back. Adrian doesn’t doubt that she will. “There’s something very healing in the way she sings and what she is saying - and the world needs a lot of healing. She has the voice to touch and bring emotion to a lot of people. And that’s what I applaud, that she’s daring, soulful and brave enough to do affect people. I’m so excited for the world to get a chance to know her and her gift.”

Annahstasia is currently working on her debut album for Buskin and pursuing her education at Tufts University in Boston.