Annahstasia Enuke’s journey through music has been nothing short of incredible. From being discovered and signed at 17, to opening for Lenny Kravitz in big arenas in 2019, to almost completely burning out of the industry by COVID, it has been a surreal experience for the LA-native.
She’s been putting out singles at a steady rate since the pandemic, including the 2023 EP Revival. Her powerful singing carries many of those tracks, but on her latest single “Villain,” Annahstasia soars to even greater heights, not just vocally, but musically.
The track starts with some nice guitar strumming that is suddenly overtaken by the words, “TAKE IT…..TAKE IT BACK.” It’s been just 13 seconds and you’re hypnotized. Enuke once said she used to hear Morgan Freeman’s voice in her head as a child, and it’s now apparent that he was giving her advice on how to take over a room with your voice.
The song continues to build over the next few minutes, with flourishes from synths and horns being introduced seamlessly. Annahstasia’s voice slowly starts to reach higher notes, with some absolutely beautiful melodies intertwined. It finally reaches a climax when she exclaims, “I still hear the voice inside my head…..Says that I’m the end of the story.” It’s the best part of the song, and it’s followed by some amazing backing harmonies wailing, “Of the story….”
So who is the villain of the song? An ex? A former record label perhaps? Morrissey?
No, it’s ourselves.
Enuke explained in an interview, “We are all made of both shadow and light. From some angle, we have all been the villain of the story, we are all trying our best, negotiating survival." As it turns out, this song lyrically is simply our own harsh self-reflection. The mistakes we make, the people we’ve hurt, to an extent it’s all of us trying our best. Though it is difficult to decipher who Annahstasia is talking to, it can be seen as criticising the antagonist within her. This antagonist is the voice that won’t go away, that looms large over her psyche.
One thing’s for sure, this track is gorgeous. The music just floats, like a melodic cloud carrying her show-stopping pipes. I personally have never been a huge fan of production that puts the vocals well above every other instrument, but here it really works. If this is what we can expect from her debut album, Tether (set to be released on June 13th), then you can bet that I’ll have that pre-saved immediately.
Luckily, you won’t have to wait long after Tether’s release to see Annahstasia live. She brings her incredible talent to the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco on Thursday, June 26th. Tickets are available at Annahstasia.com.