Ria recently interviewed Anna Coddington for muzic.net.nz. Here's what Anna had to say:
You’re touring alongside fellow kiwi artists Lips,
what made you guys want to do a tour together?
Steph and I have been friends
for a long time but she’s lived in the US for the last 8 years or so. Lips
(Steph and drummer Fen) were here on other business and had a gap. The
opportunity presented itself and we took it!
What is it like being able to collaborate with them for live performances?
It’s SO GOOD! They are both musical badasses so it makes my job easy. Steph plays 3 keyboards (at once), and Fen plays drums and samples and they both sing. So me and my guitar are just sprinkles on top really...
Slate is your first new release since the Bird In Hand album, what was the inspiration for Slate? And how do you think your new material differs from Bird In Hand?
I think my new material is an extension of where I started going with Bird In Hand. I’m very much song-focussed. I love writing songs so I just try to let each song be what it wants to be. The inspiration for Slate was wanting to move forward and needing to let go of some shit from the past to do that.
Your music video for Slate was directed by Aidee Walker (who used to be in your band Handsome Geoffrey) and was shot on Bethell’s Beach, what made you choose that location? And did you have much say in what the content and atmosphere of the video would be?
The great thing about Aidee is she is incredibly talented and also one of my best friends so I really don’t feel like I need to have much say in the videos. I really trust her vision and judgement, and I’m not really a visual person anyway. I have input here and there but mostly I just let her have the creative reigns in video world.
What message where you hoping to convey in Slate?
I don’t really think in those terms- “conveying a message”. I just like to report my experience and let people take from that what they will. Everyone experiences the same spectrum of emotions so I figure if I just be honest to myself it will ring true for some other people and the song can then be about them, not about me.
Do you have a set date for when your next album is to be released?
Nope. But I’m hoping for the first half of next year.
What is the next step after you have finished this
tour?
ALBUM. Aaaaaallllbbuuuuummm.
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions, Anna!
Anna Coddington is known for her enchanting live performances and voice which “flows perfectly from soft to grunty”, and for her songwriting prowess which has seen her in the prestigious Silver Scroll songwriting award Top 20 list four times since 2010.
Her album Luck/Time was the culmination of four years of diligent songwriting and was largely made at Anna’s own studio The Attic (literally her attic).
Showcasing all the strengths and experiences acquired over her career, Luck/Time features pop sounds with tinges of indie, disco, and yacht rock thrown in. Going against the current trend of beats-heavy production, Anna stands deliberately with her guitar in hand. With strings peppered throughout, the core of the album is all about feelings – Anna expressing her own, and the listener feeling theirs.