Exclusive Interview with ANNABELLA

AnnaBella is the Vienna-based power ladies combo comprised of the vintage doll Anna and the vocalist Bella.
Anna is the band’s mastermind, penning lyrics in red ink during late-night sessions while everyone else is fast asleep. The following morning, you will find the completed works lying next to her.
Bella, whose powerful voice is the execution force, is responsible for the musical interpretation and performance and captivates with her distinctive manner. Bella has been performing as Julia Denise for many years and is a certified vocalist and singing instructor.

In the lyrics, AnnaBella processes own experiences, some of which are musically handled in a flippant, snarky, as well as emotionally delicate manner. Women in modern society are sometimes expected to keep silent and smile in all situations. AnnaBella addresses taboo themes that women typically exclusively discuss behind closed doors. Check out the song Liar, Liar and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

ANNABELLA: We are a Viennese female-fronted rock duo and we are making music in the heart of Europe. Bella is a professional singer and vocal coach. She toured with several cover formation through Austria but she always missed something: expressing herself through her own music. With the vintage doll Anna she found the perfect partner. We have written many songs together and the 5 best will be released on our debut EP “4-Bitten Fruit”.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

ANNABELLA: Bella is a professional singer. She began taking musical theatre and classical vocal classes by the age of 16. Then started an education as a jazz and pop singer and vocal coach at the Viennese conservatory. Under the name Julia Denise, she has had many gigs in cover bands.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘ANNABELLA’?

ANNABELLA: We are influenced by great voices. The genre doesn´t really matter. We love voices like Lizzy Hale, Taylor Momsen or Amy Lee, but also like strong vocals in every kind of music like Christina Aguilera.

Musically The Pretty Reckless, Halestorm, Dorothy, Alter Bridge and Billy Talent influence us.

We are great horror movie fans. We especially love the movies “Annabelle”, “Robert the doll” and “Chucky”.

First this project was imaged as a classical band line-up and should have been called “Forbidden Fruit” but we couldn´t find the right members until now but wanted to release one of our songs, so we decided to start the project as a duo, the vintage doll Anna and the singer Bella. Because of Anna we could find some similarities to the movie “Annabelle” and renamed the band “Annabella” and so “4-Bitten Fruit” became the name of the EP .

4. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

ANNABELLA: We try not to pay attention to haters and criticism though it is very difficult. When we are confronted with hate on social media, we always try to remember that their words are not about us it is about them. The way that you´ve been treated says nothing about you but all about them. We have written a song about that topic which is called “Stand my ground” which is also part of the EP -“4-Bitten Fruit” and which will be our 4^th single.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?

ANNABELLA:

Of course, we also listened to other artists, imitated them and created own ideas in the end. You learn a lot when you try to reproduce other artists´ songs or styles.

Bella´s roots are musical theatre and pop. She tried a lot to imitate Austrian musical stars or pop singers like Christina Aguilera of course. When she switched to rock, the power women Taylor Momson or Lizzy Hale inspired her.

The same we did with creating our own songs. We analyzed rock songs (melody, structure, lyrics, instrumentation) and tried to write songs in several styles for instance like Evanescence or Billy Talent.

Bella even learnt to play the guitar to understand riffs and runs.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

ANNABELLA:

To us the main part about making music is to express ourselves but there are also topics, which are important to us to speak about. One of them is the equality of men and women and the controversy in our society.

Women are still expected to take cleansing quietly and to sit and smile. Girls have to be sexy but if they are sexy, they are considered as bitches. If they aren´t sexy they are considered as prude.

If men show their naked top it is sexy and widely accepted. If women show too much cleavage they are sluts.

These are issues that need to be changed.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

ANNABELLA:

Expressing ourselves through our songs fulfills us since we can bring our message to the people. We are very proud of the great things we have already achieved. Still there are many things we would like to do.

Until now, Annabella is a studio project but this year we would like to cast band members, to bring the project on stage, and to be able to feel the connection with our fans. We would like to tour and play on several rock festivals.

We are very excited to see how far we can get.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

ANNABELLA:

First, we write the lyrics and give them a structure. They are in a certain rhyme scheme. We often use a rhyme dictionary to find the perfect words.

After that, we compose the chords on the piano and give the song a structure. Finally, we find a melody by improvising over the chords.

The songs always sound like piano ballads at first. Then we meet our producer and we are exchanging ideas how we can give them the rock sound. The instrumentation process starts right now.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

ANNABELLA: The most difficult and important step was to stick to ourselves and follow our dreams which meant that we had to disappoint our family not to fulfill their expectations. We come from a small Austrian town where everyone has a “regular” job. First Bella worked as a bank employee before she quit to make music, which broke her family´s heart. She had to leave everything behind her flat, her family life and her friends to start a new life in Vienna and work as a musician.

It was very difficult but it was the only right thing to do.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

ANNABELLA: The most important point in our musical lives so far was recording our EP, we rocked our style and our composition and released our songs. To us it was a very scary time not knowing if we are good enough and competitive but we are so glad that we took the step. This is the most proud point in our music career so far. And we are very curious where it will lead us.