Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Elise.
Hi Annie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It’s been quite a journey. I was born and raised in Central PA and was lucky to grow up in a musical family. I begged my parents to start playing the violin when I was eight and quickly fell in love with it. Then, when I was in fourth grade, my dad told me that the middle school he worked at as a music educator had been gifted an iMac lab. He was scrambling to get some curriculum together for the new school year, and I was volun-told to be the guinea pig, haha. It turned out to be the best thing ever – I tested out the assignments in GarageBand like making a song out of loops, writing a little melody for a videogame sound, and stuff like that. I don’t think my parents realized just how into it I was, I used to sneak up to their room when they were out to record Owl City covers in the DAW! It was great to just get to explore with it. I think I was doing that up until about high school when it was discovered that I had synesthesia which is a rare neurological condition that causes me to physically see sound and hear color. Whenever I sang or spoke, a cloud of purple appeared about an arm’s length away in my field of vision. It was earth shattering for me to learn that I was alone among my peers of people who perceived the world in that way. Kids called me a “weirdo” and a “freak of nature” which sent me into a horrible depressive spiral, it was awful. Eventually, I saw a therapist who encouraged me to use synesthesia as a way to make music that was truly unique and created colors that I liked to see.
So I did – ten tracks in GarageBand later, I had a short album that I independently released to streaming platforms. I didn’t really expect anyone besides my family to hear it, but soon the executive director of TEDxLancaster reached out to say that my music and synesthesia had really inspired him, and he invited me to apply to give a talk. My talk “Seeing Sound: How Synesthesia Can Change Our Thinking” has since become the most-watched talk on synesthesia in TEDx history and currently has over 120k views. That experience was wonderful and I began to seriously consider going into music as a career. I applied to Berklee College of Music in Boston for violin performance and about halfway through my first semester, my left index finger stopped working. It was just kind of stuck at a right angle, which was puzzling since I don’t have a history of injuries. It took a team of doctors at Harvard Medical Center to diagnose me with focal dystonia, a rare condition for people my age that affects the communication between your joints and your brain. I learned that it is essentially untreatable and that I might want to think about a different career path. I was DEVASTATED. Out of necessity, almost, I pivoted to music production since I had found so much joy in it when I was younger. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made. Now I have gotten to work with various artists like ZYRA, Damoyee, August Burns Red, and Mia Asano. I recently signed as a producer to Dawn Patrol Music here in LA. I’m hopeful for the future as there have been so many reasons to stop, but I’ve been able to find a way through it every time.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in the music industry is being a female music producer. We make up only about 2.5% of the industry, and I experience micro-aggressions about it on the daily. It is so hard to have my work and my knowledge be taken seriously or to be able to work with a client without them making comments on your appearance or asking you out, or to avoid having simple concepts mansplained to you. One time I asked the head engineer for a session if they wanted drummer’s or audience perspective as I was placing drum microphones, and instead of giving me an answer, he started explaining to me what each one was. I know what they are, that’s why I’m asking you which one you want!! It’s also hard to be paid fairly. I have lost gigs simply because I stood firm in my prices, which are very low to begin with. I have also been told by many people in the industry that being a female producer is an advantage, but I have not seen it that way. It’s frustrating to feel constantly like your work isn’t appreciated or taken seriously. But I have found that surrounding myself with people that don’t make me feel that way has been wonderful. A mentor once told me that you’ll find your people and that you’ll never feel inferior or superior because it will all just click. That is what I have been lucky to find recently. It doesn’t stop the problem from happening though, and I have been very vocal in calling out the sexism in this industry. I hope that one day girls will be able to grow up in a world where they see female producers killing it and they can say, “I want to do that” and they have the support and resources to be able to pursue it themselves.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a music producer, and I also release music myself. My sound is very inspired by my synesthesia, and I love adding in elements that just look cool to me! As a result, I tend to really love working with electronic instruments, and I’ve been told that my music sounds a lot like Rachel K Collier or Porter Robinson. I also do work in my violin/viola playing and my voice, as those are both central to my identity as an artist. I also try to take time to breathe because if you don’t take the time to live life and enjoy it, how on earth are you supposed to make music about it?
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Overall, I would tell someone looking to enter this industry (especially female!) that being confident in the things you know is important, but know that you are always a student. You can learn something from everyone and every situation! Also, listen to a ton of music and make as many musician friends as you can. Those two things will reward you later on down the road! Lastly, just DO it. Just make music, play around, and don’t worry about if it’s good or not. When you start to lose that joy, passion, and excitement is when it starts to feel like work. Don’t let that curiosity and excitement die.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.annieelisemusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annieelisemusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annieelisemusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/annieelisemusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu8OxT822Ew2pPHkI_4JnKg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/annieelisemusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/00HR7TZT9GZx2syCaWkeZq?si=RiWVHtJNScu2WRs2VfQD1w
Image Credits:
Photos 1-4: Madison Jonap Photo 5: Elena Lee
