Diandra Interviews Anna Klein: Feeling Lonely, Writing A Song

We all het lonely, but how do we know the difference between being alone and lonely. For Anna Klein, you are never alone when you are suffering from the derangement of unrequited love. Come On! You have felt it: the obsession with someone or something! Releasing “Lonely,” Klein was able to experiment with her sound, but, in our interview, she show life experience, and a BIG Family (10 sibling to be exact) is the best way to become a clearer lyricist.

Diandra: How do you feel “Lonely” embodies the future of your sound?

Anna Klein: “Lonely” was a pretty experimental song for me. I had to think outside the box of my own sound, and, in doing so, I think I created a new direction for my music. I want to continue making a dreamy vibe, like my older tunes, but also keep going with a more upbeat route, like “Lonely”. I think overall, “Lonely” has set the stage for a modern dream pop sound, with an added punchiness to it, and I’m super excited to release more music like it.

Diandra: What was the inspiration behind “Lonely?”

Anna Klein: “Lonely” was a song that started as a challenge for myself in the way I produce music. I wanted to write different melodies, use different sounds, and write a song that people could groove to. Ultimately, the goal was to come up with a fun and upbeat tune, while also pushing my own creative limits. The song is about unrequited feelings, and it was so much fun to take that theme and exaggerate it; emphasizing the feeling of obsession when you can’t get someone out of your head.

Diandra: Describe a moment of loneliness and how was it received.

Anna Klein: I think a time when I felt most lonely was my first year out of high school. I took a gap year to work, and I was living in a small town: away from all of my friends. It was pretty isolating. While I had to adjust to a lot of change in my life, I felt like I was the only person on earth at times. I kind of just had to ride it out until I was able to move back to the city for school, where I felt closer to everyone. It was a pretty tough time, but I did get a better start on my music because I had material to write about and the time to create.

Diandra; Who are the people in your life that have taught you how to love? What did they teach you?

Anna Klein: I have been very lucky to have some really lovely people in my life! But, my parents definitely deserve most of the credit. Both my parents show me all the time what love is. As cliche as it sounds, they taught me what it means to choose love and what unconditional love really looks like. Having ten kids, there has to be a lot of love to go around and growing up, there was, and there still is now. I’m super grateful for that.

Diandra: How would define dream pop, and what about your style fits into it?

Anna Klein: To me, dream pop is nostalgic, dazy, and atmospheric. All of the elements of a dream pop song are combined to create a flurry of sound, and it really works. It can be very imaginative, and that’s what I really love about it. My style from the beginning has revolved around atmospheric sounds. To build a sense of nostalgia and ethereality with my music has always been a goal of mine when writing. It’s a style of music I can’t imagine outgrowing.

Diandra: What is your favorite recurring dream?

Anna Klein: Every now and then, I have a dream where I am back in my childhood home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. For me there are a lot of great memories in that house. It was definitely my prime time as a kid. To dream about it is weird, but also cool to kind of get the chance to go back and revisit some good times with the family when we were all in one place.

Diandra: Name the pop songs that most spark your imagination. Why?

Anna Klein: Some of my favourite pop songs are more on the electro/alt pop side of the spectrum. Anything from MGMT’s older music, like “Time to Pretend”, “Electric Feel”, are super visual. I also see a lot of imagery in Foster the People’s poppier songs like “Pumped Up Kicks”, “Call It What You Want”, and “Best Friend”. The band Phoenix also has some of my favourite tunes that I can easily visualize like, “If I Ever Feel Better”, and “Everything Is Everything”.

Diandra: Pop music sings love. What is your favorite love story? Why?

Anna Klein: One of my personal favourite love stories is between George Bailey and Mary Hatch in the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I’m not sure if I’d classify the movie, itself, as a love story, but the way their relationship begins is classic and quite funny to watch unfold. I think it’s a realistic portrayal of two people taking on the world together.

Diandra: With your music described as ambient, what are the places you most love for their atmosphere?

Anna Klein: One of my favourite places is a cabin that my family and I would go to when I was a kid. That entire place has nothing but good feelings attached to it. On a completely different note, there’s a bar/venue called the Cameron House in Toronto that is my favourite night time atmosphere. It was one of the first places I felt at home in when I moved to Toronto. It’s a lovely community and has a really classic, eclectic vibe. Feels really cozy.

Diandra: What have you learned about relationships since releasing These Days?

Anna Klein: Oh man. so much! (she laughs) “These Days” was written in a time where I was learning a lot about myself. I still have no idea what I’m doing, but when I think of myself, back then, it feels like a different person. I was writing about things I was experiencing for the first time. Since then, I think my entire view on relationships has changed in what I believe to be positive ways. Now more than ever, I value the relationships I’ve formed and it’s so awesome to see the cool people I’ve come to know over the years.

Diandra: What piece of wisdom about Life have you gained since releasing Innocence?

Anna Klein: I was pretty young when I worked on “Innocence.” It was the first compilation of songs I’d put together and a lot has happened since! I think more than anything, I’ve learned the importance of being kind to myself, and just going with the flow. Most of the lyrics from that EP can be interpreted as songs about toxic relationships, but the songs were reflective of a toxic relationship with myself. I can thankfully say now, that I’m pretty far from what I was then, but it’s interesting to look back on “Innocence” as a timestamp for that period in my life. There was a lot to grow from.

Diandra: What is your favorite childhood memory with music?

Anna Klein: I think one of my all time favourite memories is when I saw my older siblings, Andrew and Leah, perform “I Remember”, by Damien Rice at a small coffeehouse. I must have been six or seven years old, but I recall that to be the first time I ever truly felt a performance. I was deeply moved by that, and I remember thinking I wanted to make people feel something with my own music someday. It was a pretty cool experience for a seven year old, haha. That performance and that song still hold a very special place in my memory.

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