We were lucky to catch up with Anastasia Ellis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Anastasia, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I wished I had started earlier or took more serious sooner. I’ve been writing songs since I was 4 years old, singing in choir and theatre since elementary/middle school, and started learning about music production in high school using Maschine. I always knew I wanted to be a singer but I never knew how to get started and after my mother passed when I was 11, I didn’t have the same encouragement to go after my dreams, let alone just be myself.

I feel like a got serious about being a singer-songwriter in college. I went in undecided at Minnesota State Mankato (Southern MN) not sure if I should be in Music, Theatre, or English. My advisor at the time put me in the Music Industry curriculum because most it would be harder for me to transition too later. After my first year I found out they were adding a Songwriting Emphasis to the program and hearing that made me want to stay with my major that much more. I started playing shows around town and getting on college radio but I still felt pretty lost.

Shortly after I graduated and moved up to the Twin Cities, the pandemic happened and all the hard work I was putting into getting gigs went down the toilet and I wasn’t a big fan of social media (I don’t think anyone really is lol). I have depression and anxiety and I kept thinking about my plans of moving out of MN. Though I love MN, I had a lot of issues with living there at the time. In 2021 I moved to Austin and though I enjoy being here I almost had to start over with getting to know the city and where to play which discouraged me a bit.

I feel like if I’d started playing shows in high school I’d be further along. Even in college, I could see parts of my life where I could have been more focused on playing in the Twin Cities, instead of in southern MN where it was hard for black pop singer to play in places where all they wanted to here was rock or folk. That held me back looking at it now.

The pandemic I couldn’t really get around but I if I’d started putting more of myself on social media and pushing my music that way I’d be further along their too. But it’s all learning experiences and I know that I’m still young navigating this game.

Anastasia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! I’m Anastasia Ellis and I’m a Pop Singer-Songwriter from the Minneapolis, MN. I’ve been writing songs for most of my life and come from a pretty artistic family. I have Bachelor’s in Music Industry with a Songwriting Emphasis and in college is when I got serious about pursuing a music career. I write songs to get my feelings out and to process my emotions. My goal with music is to hopefully help other people that struggle in similar ways as me. I have depression and anxiety and I talk about that in my songs. I also have a sexier side and want people to feel comfortable about being a little sexy sometimes. My music a healthy mix of sexiness and inspiration.

One of the best parts I love about music and performing in general is when people pay attention to my lyrics and see what I’m trying to get across. I can feel the energy of the crowd when and stage and it’s inspiring!

What I’m most excited and proud of right now is that I have a new song coming out September 19th called “B UR BABY”. I love it because it’s my first song I took into a professional studio to make, I have a powerful affirmation in the song that helps me when I’m down, and I’m releasing it shortly after my birthday in my favorite month. I have a show the following day, September 20th, at Easy Tiger North from 6-8pm. This will be my longest set since moving to Austin and I’m way too excited!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson that I’ve learned and am still learning is that not everyone is against me. Me being from MN and hearing hateful comments not only from my teachers and peers but also my father and step-mother had me very discourage and feeling worthless. It was especially hard after my birth-mom passed away. She was one of the biggest supporters of my dreams along with my sisters. Though I still had my sisters I was essentially stripped from my older sisters and my mom’s side of the family since they were only my half sisters. I still had my little sisters but I found myself having to take care of them a lot and were raised in a pretty strict household.

I was told a lot that I spent too much time on my creative pursuits from my parents growing up and this made it difficult to come out of my shell and participate in all the activities I wanted to as a kid. Even though I’m no longer connected with them I find myself still biting my tongue when it comes to sharing my music.

The things I try to remember are the compliments people give me after my performance and how I feel when I finish a song I’m really proud of. My boyfriend is also a big help. This helps me keep pushing out content even when I get in my head.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part about being an artist for me is being on stage and feeling the room go silent as I’m singing. That immediate tells me that if the whole crowd is quiet when I singing, than I must be doing something right. I love being on stage and performing. I love feeling the energy of a crowd even if i’m extremely nervous. It also shows me that people are genuinely listening to what I have to say. It’s the biggest compliment when people ask me or comment on my lyrics and tell me how they interrupt them. A lot of the time they pick out things that I never noticed about my song and it makes the song feel brand new to me all over again.

Contact Info:

• Website: anastasiaellis.com
• Instagram: @anastasiaellismusic
• Facebook: @anastasiaellismusic
• Twitter: @anastasiaellis0
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZAr_CXW6C9I4lYQIGEK32g
• Other: TikTok: @anastasiaellismusic

Image Credits
Josh Kloster