The Bite Magazine Issue 17

bite music being affiliated with a brand like that has been invaluable and I am so grateful they wanted to work with me. When you’re grafting in those early stages as people discover you, they tend to want something they recognise to latch on to and that’s why it has helped so much. I’m not part of an agency and for now, that’s the only one, although I know my new music is being showcased at the moment. Fingers crossed, that is part of the wonder of it; you never quite know what’s going to happen next. Bite Magazine: Do you prefer playing acoustic on your sets? And if so why? Anna Pancaldi: I adore acoustic sets! When you’re beginning your career, I feel that you have everything to prove and performing in such a way that leaves nothing hidden. However, for the launch of my brand new single ‘Keep On Keeping On’ on 12 th October this year at St Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch, I had strings, piano and backing vocal- ists which I was ever so excited about. The more headline shows you do, there does need to be something new for the people who come to see you play. Recently ‘off tour’ in Europe supporting singer Jake Isaac, and having completed her first US tour playing New York City, Nashville and Los Angeles, Anna also performed live on CBS Los Angeles TV and played at highly regarded venues such as Tivoli Vredenburg in the Neth- erlands, Mojo Club and Auster Club in Germany’s Hamburg and Berlin. Also adding to the rostrum, she performed live and wrote with Grammy-nomi- nated songwriter Scott Effman, known for his work with Ryan Tedder and Chris Brown. Bite Magazine: Tell us about your trip to the USA, and how it stood out in comparison to the UK as an artist? Anna Pancaldi: It was so very special! I went there with little expectation and I was greeted with such support and love. I think the shock was that I had never played there before and my shows at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City and Hotel Café in Los Angeles were packed out. It was crazy, seeing as I’ve never played there before. With the USA, I went with a gut feeling of needing to play there, so at the time of booking my ticket I was literally plan- ning on playing open mics and then it changed into getting management and the shows were unforgettable. I couldn’t believe all the people that came out to see me play, some from three hours away. That trip really taught me that risks are worth taking. Bite Magazine: You were involved in a band through Radio 1’s Huw Ste- phens. What would you say you took from that experience and how did it all come about? Anna Pancaldi: I took so much from it. I now meet and make contacts with whom I work with. It gave me the chance to grow in confidence and learn who I was as an artist more too. I was told about it through BBC Cambridge, so I entered and Huw was part of the team to pick out the members of that band and thankfully chose me. Over the last year Anna has played many live shows, with slots at major festivals including Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, and Cambridge Folk Festival, as well as supporting the likes of Prides and Seafret and a double US headline tour with Bryde. Bite Magazine: You’re off again to the U.S over the coming months, what have we to look forward to from Anna Pancaldi? Anna Pancaldi: I now have my brand new single coming out, with the full EP to follow in March next year, after which I’ll be touring the UK and Europe. Playing live is the part that makes me come alive, that’s how much I love it so. I have never been so proud of something I’ve made. It’s taken me a long while to say that and now I can barely wait for you all to hear it. www.annapancaldi.com