We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anni a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Anni, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I realized I wanted to go into a creative field when I was told to do what you love. I loved music and singing and I also loved building community. Those paths aligned in a way creating Saturdays at Seven and my own artist project ‘Anni’.

Anni, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a singer/songwriter and poet. I started my first artist project under the name ‘Annika Grace’ in 2016. Since then, I have created a new artist project under the name ‘Anni’ exploring a different side to my sound. I have gone the more indie songwriter route lately pulling inspiration from artists like Maggie Rogers and Phoebe Bridgers.

I also love building community. I started a concert series called Saturdays at Seven in my backyard. Over the years it’s grown to be a showcase series on the West Side bringing creatives together every Saturday at 7pm. We have multiple venues now and have had over 250 artists perform. I currently curate each show as well as our weekly Spotify playlist and music blog as well as run our socials and submissions.

Besides music and Saturdays at Seven, I am also a poet and am working on publishing my first poetry book this year. It’s called ‘Remedies’ and explores the human experience and the emotions and remedies that correlate.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have always followed the goal of ‘do what you love everyday’. I think that is what drives my creative journey. I will never not do something that I love or am passionate about. I let my curiosity lead me and let my passion figure out where I end up. I have a strong faith in what will be will be and whatever is meant for you will stay. Working in the creative industry can be challenging but knowing I’m doing what I love keeps me moving forward.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect for me would be the community that comes with being a creative. I love meeting new people and sharing a love for art with so many others. It creates a deeper bond between people, sharing a part of you that is so vulnerable. I think it’s so special that there is such a strong community of artists in LA, especially in Venice Beach that all supports each other. I have found so many of my friends that I now call family through music and Saturdays at Seven. Another rewarding aspect is seeing your art in the world, not just in the studio. It’s so special to perform on stage, or listen to your song in the car with friends, on the radio, or seeing others listen to it. It’s a unique feeling unlike any other knowing people are appreciating and enjoying the art you made.

Contact Info:

• Website: saturdaysatseven.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callheranni/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annika-grace-210309138/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@callheranni

Image Credits
1,3,9 Mira Horwitz 2 Rachel Kupfer 4,5,6,7 West Neils 10 Sam Almonte