Riddle me this: you hear people talking about Anni B. Sweet, you look up one of her songs on YouTube… Which birthplace would you give her?
Anni B. Sweet’s real name is Ana López, Málaga class of ‘87: even if you’d place her in the United States, her folk and English lyrics are misleading. Her first album came out last spring on Subterfuge, the label that launched Dover and established Fangoria and Marlango, and with Start, restart, undo — its title — Ana gives free rein to a musical vocation that began in childhood. «I owe it to my brothers. Seeing how much importance they gave it, I imitated them». In fact, at seven «I loved recording myself singing a cappella», inventing her own choruses.
Songs just because
Because for Ana, songs are simply natural. «They can come from any experience, thought, doubt or memory». «I don’t have a fixed creative process», she says. «Sometimes I write a melody on guitar first and then find the lyrics; other times it’s the other way round. I don’t have a schedule either, but lately it’s easier at night or in the afternoon».
Out of that need to make music, since the album came out «I haven’t stopped writing. I’m trying it in Spanish…». But let’s hold the future: what path did Ana have to walk between her dreams and this reality? Before winning the demo contest that let her sign with her label, many of us discovered her online, when she was still forming a band to jump from cafés to stages. «The web matters a lot. With Myspace you can move music very fast, people abroad can hear what you do, and it’s a great way to find new musicians!». Though she also sees downsides: «like everything, if you use it badly it doesn’t help at all».
A prophet in her own land
Ana made it from Madrid, where she moved to study Architecture. Would she have succeeded in Andalusia? «I don’t think it would have happened the same way in Málaga», she admits; «unfortunately there isn’t as much of a music scene», and she regrets her thin connection with Andalusian indie: «I’ve barely played around here, and I’m dying to. The times I’ve toured Andalusia have been very special for me». Shortly after talking to us, Ana lived a magic moment: she opened her 2010 tour in Málaga.
Medium-sized rooms await her, between the acoustics of her beginnings and the bigger festivals. «They’re different feelings. With the audience close you feel like family: the nerves rise, and everything comes across with more intensity». By contrast, «playing FIB was unforgettable. Seeing so many people is really surprising, and it gives you goosebumps», even though she admits «it’s true my music may be enjoyed more in a small, quiet place».
From the south to Barcelona, Santander or Las Palmas, and on her CV Argentina, a special edition with a bonus track of her album… She may sound North American; she is from Málaga: Anni B. Sweet will keep sounding more and more familiar.
Text: Elena Medel · Photography: Mercedes Haedo · Source: Andalucía Joven no. 6, February–March 2010.