Album Update

Hi all,

I’m aware I’ve been quiet on this blog. It’s the eternal struggle of the ‘one woman band’ artist, bury your head in your art and allow the ideas to run wild, or come up for air to communicate, while plate spinning other roles and identities. I thought it was time to take a breath and let you know where I am with the new album.

I’ve been working behind the scenes with producer Gerry Diver for 9 months now and we’re about 55% of the way there. I’m enjoying the process, but most of all I’m enjoying finding my voice again.

Working in the industry, for the industry can often cloud that voice, so with this album comes a journey of discovery and re-discovery, along with an unapologetic honesty and rawness I can’t say I’ve ever articulated before. It is, incredibly liberating.

I hope you can forgive me for what would be deemed ‘slow progress’ in today’s world, but one thing I’ve learnt from my research and PhD is that the best work is often untethered, and most importantly not rushed.

I’ll be shooting some photos for the artwork later this month and will be continuing to thrash out new songs and re-vamp existing songs, all as a process of emergence.

This will be, my best work yet.

Anna

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CISAC GA in Seoul

Culture Crossing Boarders panel for CISAC GA with CISAC VPs Ángeles Gonzalez-Sinde and Arturo Márquez, APRA’s Jenny Morris, DGK’s Yoo Ji-Tae, and musician and member of the Korean National Assembly Kim Jae Won.

I’ve just returned from Seoul (Korea) after an extraordinary week of events for the ‘day job’ (which I don’t normally post about on here but bear with me…) and wanted to share some of the stories and success here photographically.

I feel very blessed to be able to stand up for creators worldwide while also working with some of the most talented minds in the business.

This week included: lobbying, a visit to the National Assembly to speak on behalf of Korean Directors and Screenwriters to persuade them to pass legislation to help support remuneration (yes that’s right, the Director of ‘Squid Games’ got nothing…), a meeting with Japanese Directors to work out a way of achieving this in Japan, a performance on stage for KOMCA where I treated the Korean music industry, in fact the global music, audiovisual and visual arts industry to a rendition of ‘Paper Cut’ and the above panel with actor Ji Tae Yoo, Jenny Morris, Arturo Márquez, Kim Jae Win aka Lia & Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde who joined me to discuss culture and the creative industries. In between this, we were treated to some spectacular performances, dinners and company.

Those of you who watch my social channels will know that this panel followed on from our first Creators Conversations Episode at CISAC on K Pop with James Reynolds, Max Graham and Matt Thomspon (aka Arcades). which is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAHzQcypgPI

The whole week was a fascinating insight into the workings of K Pop and K Culture as a whole.
Thank you KOMCA for hosting us. I’m now back in the UK, working on my new album, and dreaming of sunsets over the city skyline.

Anna NealeComment
Acoustic You Tube Sessions - Songs from the forthcoming album ‘Tree’.

Hi all,

I’m part way through working on my forthcoming new album ‘Tree’ with producer Gerry Diver so I thought it might be time to start adding some acoustic renditions of the new songs to You Tube (it’s been a while since I updated it…oops).

Head over to youtube.com/annaneale where I’ll be uploading acoustic videos, first up, Paper Cut!

Anna NealeComment
2023 - From darkness to light

It’s only when you look back you realise how much has happened, especially when you have ADHD!

2023, from darkness to light, quite literally.

The first half of this year was something of a personal ‘dark night of the soul’, but I’m so incredibly grateful for the lessons I’ve learnt, the friends and family who has been amazing, the unbelievable opportunities I have experienced and the new ones I now have in my role at CISAC.

Here are just a few of them.

I will always be an artist at heart, and I’m slowly rediscovering my love and joy in music.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey so far. 🙏

#2023 #newyear #singersongwriter #musicindustry

From left to right: Dave Rowntree’s album ‘Radio Songs’, The Musicians Company, AIM Connected, House of Parliament Women in Music performance, Musicians Union conference, The Ivor Novello Awards, photoshoot with Nicky Thomas at Chatham Historic Dockyard, Paris, Ffwrd Music Conference, UBC Music Brazil, Björn Ulvaeus at WIPO for Creators, on stage at UBC Brazil, UNESCO Film and AI, CISAC HQ.

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Tree LP - 2024

Tree LP - 2024

2024 will see new music from me! With a series of single’s that will be released mid-year onwards that will be part of a new album/LP called ‘Tree’, due for later release.

Working with award winning, Mercury nominated producer Gerry Diver (who has worked with amongst others Sam Lee, Lisa Knapp, Tom Robinson, Graham Coxon (Blur), Paul Heaton, Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols) Olly Knights (Turin Brakes), Billy Bragg, Martin Carthy, Martyn Joseph, Nitin Sawhney), the album will feature songs written solo and in collaboration with Gerry Diver and Dave Rowntree (Blur) as a personal evolution of identity.

Since Spotify and Deezer announced the change in royalty payouts I have decided not to release these songs (or any new material) on those platforms. This little collection will only be available through my website, Bandcamp (unless something disastrous happens there too), Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora (US) and Tidal. It will also be available in Dolby Atmos…

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UBC Performance Brazil

If you’ve been following my social media feeds you would have seen that I’m currently in Rio De Janeiro for CIAM creators general assembly on behalf of CISAC as their Directors of Presidents and Creators.

Well, I’ve also been able to engage in music whilst here and was invited to play at one of our CMO members, UBC, offices for the staff as a thank you for all their wonderful hospitality and I have to say, it was sooooo good to be back on stage.

Lots of videos online but in the meantime, thank you team UBC. 🙏 Watch this space…

Anna NealeComment
FastForward Music Confernece

Hi all,

Tomorrow I’ll be talking on a panel on Streaming for FastForward Music Conference in London as a writer and as part of my new role at CISAC! We’ll be delving into the reality of what it’s like for music writers and exchanging ideas on how to make things better (alongside AI!)!

Hopefully, see you there?

Anna

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Ivor Novello Awards 2023

It was an honour to be asked to be a judge for this years Ivor Novello Awards (complete with new sponsor Amazon Music).

I’m proud to have been a small part of what was a heartfelt and humbling ceremony in which a multitude of songwriters not only celebrated their achievements, but spoke from the heart about creative struggles, commitment, unfair pay and imposter syndrome.

So much inspiration, so much to be thankful for. Thank you everyone. 🙏

Anna NealeComment
Neurodiversity Celebration Week - article for the Musicians Union

I’m proud to have contributed this piece on living with ADHD and Autism for the Musicians'​ Union as part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week. It’s important we share our experiences in a positive light because despite some of the challenges society throws at us, we’re awesome. I hope you enjoy reading it, it feels slightly strange bearing my soul in such a non musical way…

https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/i-wouldn-t-be-without-it-anna-neale-on-adhd-and-autism

Anna NealeComment
Happy release day Dave Rowntree!

Happy release day to Radio Songs, a beautifully poignant collection of songs that I’m extremely proud to have been a small collaborative part of.

Music has meaning, and of all the projects I’ve been blessed enough to be involved with there will always be something special about this.

Black Sheep evolved one rainy afternoon in London, but it takes the listener on a journey through the universe (and back again). I hope you enjoy it and all the other songs I’ve been lucky enough to hear develop these last couple of years.

The album is available to stream from all the usual platforms and on CD and Vinyl (in multiple colours!). Looking forward to the launch tonight at Rough Trade East. www.daverowntree.com

Anna x

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