Brooklyn’s Newest It-Girl Anna Shoemaker Talks Love for Vintage, Heartbreak and “I’m Your Guy”
Brooklyn-based indie-pop artist Anna Shoemaker aims to immerse herself in all depths of emotions; whether it’s heartbreak, loss or showing unconditional love. Her undeniable charm and tales of romance capture the introspection of young adulthood and the growing pains of addressing toxic relationships.
Experimental, yet confessional, Shoemaker takes listeners into a deep dive through her emotional journey of growing up and her artistic breakthroughs, reflecting on everything from love to loss. Her effortlessly cool demeanor, intoxicating pop melodies and raw self-reflection of her mental health is evident throughout her discography and artistic journey as she matures with her sound and songwriting.
Shoemaker’s latest single release “I’m Your Guy,” is co-written with her longtime friend and collaborator Richie Quake. “I’m Your Guy” is an intimate alt-rock ballad that celebrates unconditional love and showing up for someone with pure intentions – whether platonic or romantic. Throughout the song, Shoemaker switches traditional gender roles and pronouns with lyrics like, “Baby if you’ll be my man / I’m your guy / I will get you through your lonely night.” The songstress rejects the conventional norms placed around romance – especially hetero relationship norms – and celebrates healthy love that uplifts. The single follows her recently released debut album, Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire).
Shoemaker says, “It’s been made clear over and over again that people in power in our country don’t really give a shit about us, so it’s really up to us to protect and be there for each other.”
[UNPUBLISHED]: Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. Can you tell us about what type of music you create and how you got started in the industry?
[ANNA]: I want my music to sound the way that I feel. So, a lot of times it's like indie-pop or more pop influenced. I've just always made music and played shows to deepen my passion.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What artists inspire you either lyrically or instrumentally
[ANNA]: Lately it's been a lot of my friends that have been really inspiring to me like my friend Richie Quake, and my other friend Blonder. I'm really inspired by tons of music and any kind of good writing, and I've been listening to a lot of Holly Humberstone. I think she's amazing and she really builds these worlds which is what I’m trying to do with my craft.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What was the moment when you realized that making music was the path for you?
[ANNA]: I don't think I ever really realized, it’s just really the only thing that I got. I never really have thought too much about it. It's just always been the thing.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What's your go-to instrument when you songwrite?
[ANNA]: I play guitar a lot and I collaborate with a lot of different producers. I think a lot of the songs that we write start up on guitar.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You're about to release your single “I'm Your Guy.” Can you talk to me about the inspiration behind the song and how the creative process looked like for you?
[ANNA]: I wrote it with my friend Richie, and we’ve collaborated and written a lot of songs together. It was just a really easy song to write. We wrote it about wanting to be there for someone unconditionally, and it just kind of came up really easily.
[UNPUBLISHED]: The song is called “I'm Your Guy.” What does it mean for you and why did you specifically choose this as the title of your work or just kind of came to you naturally?
[ANNA]: It was just the line of the song and it was exactly what we were trying to convey, just being there for someone and this idea of love being present and not toxic.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Throughout the song, you swap out traditional gender roles and pronouns with lyrics like, “Baby if you’ll be my man/ I’m your guy / I will get you through your lonely night.” Why did you choose to reject conventional romantic norms?
[ANNA]: It honestly wasn't really like a conscious decision. I just think that I've been in a lot of situations where the type of love you're experiencing is protective in an unhealthy way – kind of a controlling love or like a toxic relationship. I think that this idea of being a protector or being there for someone feeds into unconditional love as long as there’s boundaries and good intentions and because you care for the person instead of attempting to control them or the outcome. It’s true love and there’s no toxicity.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What have been some of the main inspirations behind the sound and the instrumentals for “I’m Your Guy.” For this new single what can fans expect for this new era you're in following your previously released debut album, Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire)?
[ANNA]: I'm really really excited to do something a little bit different. I think this one's a really special song to me, and I think that going forward, there's just gonna be a lot of new stuff.
[UNPUBLISHED]: I know you're about to play some live shows following the single release. Do you have any pre or post-show rituals to help combat any anxiety and to ensure you play the best set that you can?
[ANNA]: I just jump around a lot, and then sometimes it's a shot of tequila, sometimes it's tea. It's always different.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Outside of music, what do you do that might help feed into your creativity or music inspiration?
[ANNA]: I think that the most important thing for me as an artist is to not do anything, and I've actually recently kind of gotten into like mindless things. Not to sound like Kourtney Kardashian, but ‘my vibe right now is just living life.’ Just being a person and not really thinking about music lately. I've been getting a lot of clothes from thrift stores and upcycling them, and I think it's really cool to do that stuff. I've been really into making a lot of merch and stuff, and I feel like it's cool to make merch that's sustainable, but also something you could wear. I've been getting a lot more into that because it's a good way to get your creativity and passions out into the world.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Do you wear your own designs at photoshoots or live performances?
[ANNA]: I've started a little bit and am getting more confident. I literally love doing this shit [designing merch and thrifting] and I've been going lately to a lot of thrift stores. I just found a vintage coach bag and I really just want to stud my name into it. It's just been really fun. I think it's really been cool because a lot of the stuff that I've worn have been from designers that are upcycling things and cutting things up. So much of music is like your brand and what you wear, and it's like you don't want to miss. It's a lot of pressure but you don't want to miss an opportunity to show how you feel and express yourself. I think clothing is so inspiring to me, and has been such a big part of my journey as an artist that it's become almost so important to the point that I'm like micromanaging every aspect.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Would you like to continue to design your own merch in the future?
[ANNA]: I already do pretty much design most of it with my manager and we work with different graphic designers. My merch for me has always been something I would wear.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What are your top go-to thrifting or vintage stores in New York?
[ANNA]: I really liked Beacon’s Closet in Bushwick. For stuff to upcycle, I like the Urban Jungle because they just have racks and racks of deadstock stuff or just plain white button downs and I love painting and printing on them.
[UNPUBLISHED]: So looking ahead to this upcoming year, what are you most looking forward to that you would like to share with Unpublished Magazine?
[ANNA]: I'm really excited about my new music and a new project that I'm working on. I'm really excited about the new music. I think it's gonna be just really different and I'm really diving into a lot of it, and I've been working on it for a couple of months now and it just feels really exciting. I just think that “I’m Your Guy” for me is a good transition into the next project I’m working on, and I’m really excited and grateful to make music and to keep making it.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What’s your big three?
[ANNA]: Leo sun, Gemini rising and Pisces moon.
[UNPUBLISHED]: My last question for you is, what is your wildest dream as an artist? If you can have one thing happen to you like a milestone or collaboration you want to accomplish in your career? What would that look like for you?
[ANNA]: I really want to go on tour and I really want to meet as many people as possible, and it's really like connecting with people and sharing. I don't really know what it is, but recently I played two shows with Isaac Dunbar and just connecting with his fans was just so fulfilling and relating with different people. My whole life, I've always been told that I’m being too dramatic, I’m feeling too much. I have a safe space in live performing and relaxing with my emotions and feeling validated. I think the thing that is top on my bucket list is to go on tour or play shows and festivals.
