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

Hi Anthony, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Over the last year or so, I’ve had the good fortune to really grow as a producer and songwriter through creating with many new peers, especially on the pop side of things. An ongoing collaboration with producer/writer and fellow synth geek SCi-FY has been rewarding in so many ways, including a great friendship above all. We’ve released one single together called “Close to You” and have more in the pipeline, including a triple collab with topliner/vocal producer/artist Kate Ryder. I’ve gotten to write and work with so many talented people on a multitude of upcoming projects, including forthcoming solo material of my own, with huge contributions from producers and writers like Rich Harris, Graham Mallany, Nik Lizcano, and more. As far as recent releases go, “One in a Million” by Dasie and “Holy Trinity” by Elle Buell hold a special place in my heart. The process of making both of those was so unique and inspiring.

Anthony, 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?

I’m the son of a professional drummer, so music was not foreign to me growing up. I started learning multiple instruments at a very young age and knew that I wanted to pursue music as a career even before I became a teenager.

After graduating college with a Bachelor’s in Music, I worked as an engineer and one-man band at a revered local studio near my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, while continuing to record and release my own music and perform throughout the northeast US as an artist. After many years of putting in that work, Nashville revealed itself as the next big step and I moved in the summer of 2011.

Fast forward 12 years, and I’ve already had such unexpected and incredible experiences and accomplishments in the industry. As recently as last month, I became a voting member of the Recording Academy, performed at a handful of stadiums including Gillette and Raymond James, on top of seeing the most song releases I’ve had so far in a calendar year as a producer, spanning pop, alternative, country, singer-songwriter, synthwave, you name it. I am somehow feeling more motivated and fulfilled by music with each passing year.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

It’s interesting, the majority of my reading when it comes to business philosophy or guidance has had absolutely nothing to do with music or the entertainment business specifically. Authors and thought leaders like Scott Galloway and Seth Godin have provided me with a lot of insight over the years in terms of how to continually approach a career (and life) as an entrepreneur or a non 9-to-5’er.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

It might sound a bit simplistic, but honestly my goal most days is just to “make something cool” with people I like I always want to be inspired and create art that isn’t phoned-in, but I find that things like “substance” and “depth” tend to be in the eye of the beholder. I am a massive pop head, so my tastes lean towards the commercial realm, which is often an impossible equation to achieve something that appears so simple on its face. A great 3-minute pop song can be a lot harder to write than a moody, storytelling opus. I gravitate towards certain sounds or instruments or stylistic motifs, and am driven to create the same excitable feeling that those things give me when I listen to my favorite music.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.antisongs.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anti_songz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anti.songz

Image Credits
All photos by Sean McGee.