Anna Calvi

[HeatherAnne]

She's phenomenal, love her raspy sexy voice and sound.

Anna Calvi is an English musician who plays in the band of the same name. On 6 December 2010, Calvi was announced as a nominee for the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll. Her self-titled debut album was released in the UK on 17 January 2011,where it debuted at number 40 on 23 January. The album was subsequently nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in 2011.

Calvi has been compared to other female singers PJ Harvey and Siouxsie.

Calvi's style has been described as dark, romantic, atmospheric pop. The singer has stated that the powers of lust are an inspiration and her performances are deliberately sexually charged. Calvi has cited Nina Simone, Maria Callas, the rock of Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones, the blues of Captain Beefheart, the stage performances of Nick Cave, David Bowie and Scott Walker as well as classical composers Carlo Gesualdo, Messiaen, Ravel and Debussy as among her influences.

Calvi has stated that the films of Gus Van Sant and Wong Kar-Wai and David Lynch have also influenced her music. She has admiration for "people that make beautiful films where the cinematography tells the story" and tries to do the same in her own work.


Calvi was invited to play at the Gucci dinner, hosted by Vogue during 2011 Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. Since then Frida Giannini, creative director at Gucci has chosen outfits for Calvi to wear during the May 2011 US tour.

The fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has said he is a fan of her music, and has photographed Calvi for the Maison Michel Fall Winter 2011 lookbook.

Sir Paul Smith photographed Calvi for the cover of L'Express Styles.
Calvi was invited on the Chanel table for the Amfar charity event at Cannes Film Festival 2011.

wikipedia & planetlyrics

 

[Scott]

and brian eno has deemed her the best thing to come about since Patti Smith....which is a HUGE compliment not just the comparison but coming from the maestro.

i've definitely become a fan. i actually hadn't known of her till this year's mercury prize ceremony for which she was shortlisted but ultimately won by PJ Harvey. and our resident Chaky recommended her. it's very moody and rich....like edith piaf merged with roy orbison. she plays the guitar in an innovative way too....instead of the traditional strumming motion she plays in a circular motion which makes her guitar sound like one big orchestra pit.

btw if you haven't heard her cover of edith piaf's version of "Jezebel" she's just released a revamped version she did with rob ellis(nick cave & grinderman) in french. she also released a cover of tv on the radio's 'wolf like me' as well.....and it's stunning.

 

[HeatherAnne]

Agreed Scott, her covers are incredible! Also love her cover of Elvis Presley's Surrender.

I love how slightly dark all of her songs are, which comes across clearly in her covers -- you can definitely tell that the people she sites (from Nick Cave to David Lynch) are truly influential on her sound, and not just people she's ticking off to sound clever.

She will be fun to watch progress.

Covers:

 

[Chaky]

There's some interesting interviews with Anna out there where she discusses how she locked herself away to teach herself to sing, and why she dresses like a male flamenco dancer.

I like her TV On The Radio cover. The original is one of my favourites of theirs but I think Anna does a good job giving a very different take on it.


Here's another cover of a Leonard Cohen song done as an instrumental that shows off her sweep picking ability!

My interpretation of this song is instrumental, as I found the lyrics to be so atmospheric I wanted to write my own piece of music which was inspired by the story that unfolds in each verse. Therefore there are four parts to the instrumental, as there are four verses. After each verse Cohen returns to the same refrain, which he sings a beautiful tune just with 'la's'. After each verse I also return to this melody. I just wanted to capture the story which is so beautifully told, with music. I hope you enjoy.

And I love this version of album closer Love Won't Be Leaving at the Luminaire Club in London:



Better than the record.

 

[HeatherAnne]

Wow, thanks Chaky, I agree that version of Love Won't Be Leaving is achingly beautiful. I really need to see her live.

 

[Chaky]

Anna got nominated for a Brit Award (British version of Grammys) for Best British Breakthrough Act. She won't win but it's a bit more recognition for her I guess.

 

[Scott]

it'll probably go to that overrated half-wit pop-tart jessie j. ick.

shame PJ Harvey was wrongly ignored in the female solo category. that to me is an utter crime. one of the strongest albums by one of the most uniquely incomparable women in music....they pass on her for jessie j.? i am beginning to feel about the brits the way i feel about the grammy's.....it's mostly a popularity contest.....they don't ultimately recognize the genuine music. at least not anymore. i used to have a lot of respect for them but they've made some dodgy decisions lately.

 

[Chaky]

I don't watch the Brit Awards any more. For me they've never really been about recognising the best music. It's a record industry thing so they are certainly biased towards artists with high sales figures. Their selections are mostly very mainstream and unimaginative with the odd good nomination - like Anna's - sneaking in.

The benefit of it is that the ceremony is on primetime TV so for someone like Anna Calvi it might help get some more people to check out her music.

 

[marjanthelion]

she was featured in vogue paris btw

zimbio

 

[marjanthelion]

another mag/dandv management via the gentlewoman

 

[ediewho]

 

[Chaky]

Dear everyone,

I hope this finds you well, I'm deep into writing my second album; I've been writing in New York, and now I'm back in my attic in London. I'm really excited about how the new songs are sounding, I can't wait for you to hear them. I want to share all I've been listening to for inspiration but I also want it to be a surprise! One album I've been playing a lot which is very close to my heart is The Invisible's new album 'Rispah'. You may be familiar with the singer, Dave Okumu, as he provided backing vocals on 'No More Words'..Rispah is a beautiful album. I've also been listening to a lot of Steve Reich, Rachmaninov and Grace Jones..!

Myself, Dan and Mally are really looking forward to playing some festivals this summer, especially Somerset House on July 12th in London, this will be a very special show, I hope to see some of you there.

All my love to you, see you soon

Anna xx

Anna's facebook

 

[Stereo_Flo]

Anna Calvi featuring on the Summer cover of Playing Fashion

Its out! Anna Calvi featuring on the summer cover of Playing Fashion. Anna was great to shoot, we were treated to some fantastic acoustic versions of her songs, the icing on the cake to a perfect shoot!

Stylist - Sara Dunn @ Clicks+Contacts
Hair - Bianca Tuovi @ CLM
Make-up - Shama @ CLM
Featuring - Anna Calvi
Shot @ Apiary Studios London



moreandyeaton.blogspot.com

 

[AD011620]

Absolutely adore her! Her album! Her devotion to music... Saw her live and she was phenomenal!

 

[Chaky]

It's been a bit quiet from Anna for a while. But she's popped up this week at Milan Fashion Week.

First she did a performance at the amfAR auction charity gala. Then she turned up at the Fendi show:

no-more-words-no-more-words.tumblr.com

 

[Chaky]

...and following on from that, a free download!: Anna's cover of The Wall by The Invisible here.

It's been a quiet year for Anna Calvi, the kohl-eyed, guitar-wielding singer whose self-titled debut album took her from Cheap Hotel frontwoman to solo star in her own right. It was during her time with Cheap Hotel that she met the Invisible's Dave Okumu at the Asylum club in London, and the pair have remained friends ever since. The Wall – premiered here – is Calvi's bluesy take on the highlight of the Invisible's excellent Rispah album. Here she replaces the electronic throb and shimmering textures of the original with serrated guitar and distant drums. Calvi's sighs add to the tension before the drums take over and the whole thing explodes into life.

The Guardian

 

[Chaky]

L'Officiel Italia October 2012
Ph: Rankin

facebook.com/annacalvi

 

[miss_catherine]

I absolutely adore this woman, I can't believe I hadn't thought to look her up on her ages ago. Ta for sharing all the images, etc.

EDIT: Ha, just realised that you started this thread, HeatherAnne (I read the post but not the name before posting my own comment). Endless shared loves.

 

[HeatherAnne]

Latest cover, Beyonce. Dying for a new single/album from Anna.

 

[Scott]

new album out 7th of october!!



morricone!! cannot wait for this one