Anna Clendening has a formula for success in the music industry: make music that is vulnerable, open and honest.
Clendening, a Chapel Hill alumna who was on the TV show America’s Got Talent in 2015 and made it to the quarter-finals, released her first EP, Waves, on Asylum Records on February 22.
“I’m super excited to be releasing Waves. It’s a good mixture of positive and sad songs. That’s life. We have ups and downs, and this EP will show that,” Clendening said.
Clendening has suffered from depression and anxiety since she was 13, when she had her first panic attack in her chorus class at Chapel Hill.
“I want to be the person I needed when I was 13, 14 and 15,” Clendening said. “I am very transparent. I talk about anything. I don’t put myself on a pedestal. I use the bathroom like everyone else. The more uncomfortable I am sharing my story, the more comfortable I can make others.”
About a year ago, Clendening moved to Los Angeles to work on her music and finish recording her EP. When she first moved, her depression became so bad that she felt she could not do anything. She took a trip back to North Carolina, planning to visit for two weeks, but ended up staying for six months.
Clendening has learned the importance of self-care after moving back to California.
“Now that I have been in Los Angeles for a good amount of time, I’ve been really busy and I am always getting stuff done. I am at a pivotal point in my career, and I feel comfortable in this fast-paced city. I used to miss home a lot, and, of course, I miss my family and the scenery, but I don’t miss the slow pace of the South,” Clendening said.
After graduating from Chapel Hill in 2011, Clendening attended the University of Charlotte for two years, majoring in communications with a minor in Spanish, before dropping out.
She realized that she did not want an office job to be her future, and she knew she wanted her life to revolve around music. In 2013, Clendening posted a Vine of her singing, and it went viral.
“I was so confused. Why me?” Clendening said.
Clendening started seriously writing songs two or three years ago, and, over the course of the year-and-a-half working on her EP, her writing style has changed a lot.
“Music is my safe place. That’s where I feel the most comfortable. I know I have a good song when it just flows out naturally. It should not be forced,” she said.
When Clendening first began writing songs, she was more lyrically driven, but when she moved out to Los Angeles, she started writing in groups with other songwriters such as The Gifted, Noah Conrad, Louis Schoorl, Brian Phillips and Peter Thomas.
Every time they have a writing session, they spend hours talking about what is going on in their lives. Then, they start writing music and lyrics, in no particular order.
“I take pride in writing very relatable lyrics. This way of writing helps, so I don’t have to make up stories,” Clendening said. “Now, working with people, I don’t put myself in a box and go with whatever comes out. The biggest thing I’ve learned is to not be super attached and not take it personally if somebody doesn’t like what I wrote.”
Clendening loves being able to connect with people through her music and tries to talk to everyone who reaches out to her for help. Her life goal is to pursue music long enough to be able to travel and work with non-profit organizations.
She wants to help people be strong and confident.
“The one thing I struggled with was how I looked. I mean, I’m a female. I did not look in the mirror. I thought I was fat, so I lost weight. In Greensboro, somebody said, ‘Look at her arms. She belongs in the zoo.’ Later, I shaved my arms and got an Invisalign,” Clendening said.
Clendening said she has heard every rude comment in the book, but she has worked on not letting what others say get to her.
“Nobody can make me feel any less anymore,” she said.
She encourages her fan base, or, as she would say her “family,” not to let others get them down.
“Life is beautiful, and it is not worth the energy to get upset over what other people have to say about you,” she said.
Clendening believes “Anxiety” and “Drowning” are the most vulnerable songs on the EP.
“[The songs are] the story of what I go through. They’re the most emotional to perform, and I’m nervous for people to hear them, but, at the same time, I’m really excited for them to come out,” Clendening said.
Waves is available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. Clendening will be going on tour in April, playing eight major cities, including a date in Raleigh at Kings.
