“ I used to be scared of singing” Lauded by fellow artists and music critics alike, ANNA CALVI takes her distinctive brand of rock to the next level on her new album, Hunter. Here, she tells us how she overcame crippling shyness to emerge as a singer, and why anger is a useful emotion Words FLORIAN OBKIRCHER Photography MAISIE COUSINS
On stage, Anna Calvi is a force of nature, pacing around, shredding her guitar, switching between powerful operatic singing and ear-splitting shouts. She saunters down the catwalk-like stage, then stops, making direct eye contact with an audience member. Calvi walks gradually closer, eyes still locked, until she’s on her knees, her forehead pressed against theirs, while still playing a wild and wheezing guitar solo. In that moment, and many others during this London gig, it’s clear what makes Calvi stand out from her musical peers, and why she now counts Nick Cave and Brian Eno among her fans. Off stage, by contrast, the two-time Mercury Prize nominee and former member of the judging panel is calm and softly spoken. But her conviction is no less present. As she sips tea, smiling occasionally, she talks about her third album, Hunter, a bold and noisy rock record on which the 37-year-old from Twickenham explores sexuality and breaking the laws of gender conformity…
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the red bulletin: Your music career began in 2008, and since then you’ve built a reputation as one of the best and most inventive guitarists around. How did you first fall in love with the instrument? anna calvi: I started playing the guitar when I was eight years old. I was a very shy child and it was a way of having a voice. It gave me an identity I wouldn’t have otherwise had. Having witnessed your wild live show, that comes as some surprise... Actually, until my mid-twenties I was quite phobic about singing. I wouldn’t sing at all, ever – not even in the shower. Why was that? I just didn’t think I’d be able to do it, because my speaking voice is very quiet. Then I thought that it must feel so liberating to use your voice that way, and I was curious – could I do it? So you started as some form of personal therapy? Yeah, like really letting go. If you’re introverted, you’re holding in a lot of stuff and you need to find an outlet,
