Anna May Enamours with Her Latest Single “Elegy” [Premiere]

While popular music comes in many forms, Anna May’s is the type that you keep close to the heart. If you listen to her new single “Elegy,” it’s not hard to see what we mean. The song is intensely personal to May and it comes as a joy to her to be able to share a song like this with her audience.

“Elegy” explores metaphorical and melodic nuances that are derived from personal tragedy. Everyone experiences tragedy, and May hopes you can find some slivers of healing and relatability within the song. Interestingly enough, this examination of grief is conducted through the lens of Southern California. Not unlike her previous releases, “Elegy” is a vocally-driven folk ballad featuring some tinges of doo-wop.

Reflecting on the song, May states:

“When I sing ‘Elegy,’ I am brought closest to who I lost. It is as if I can reach into the song and capture the special parts of him, when I feel them fading. This song feels more intimate and more revealing than work I’ve done before. It is mostly sober and somber, but I wanted to decorate it with some playful melodies that remind me of doo wop.

“To me, this song really feels like San Diego and like a very short-lived sliver of pleasure. I am so happy to have this song, which would not have existed without the pain that I’ve felt, for all these months. I never thought that I would have to write a song like this one, and I resisted the difficult process. This was edited more heavily than other songs that I’ve written. There are conscious details placed throughout, specific to who it is written for and I am proud to have cultivated a sort of secret language.

“It is an instantly therapeutic and visceral experience as an artist to be present with a song like this. It means so much to me, and I hope that it can resonate for listeners and allow them space to explore the transcendent sorts of moments in their lives, that often times feel, might not come back. This is to hanging onto them, in whatever raw and stark form we find ourselves. I wanted it to be the words for the silence after a breakup. It is an elegy for the most that I’ve ever loved and the most cruel that I’ve ever been treated.”

As you might expect, May has been deeply inspired by the great folk artists of the past like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen. Her songs are rooted in the traditions of Americana music with many poetic sensibilities. But she has a specific soft touch when it comes to her songwriting with the authenticity and humanity clearly shining through everything she composes. Her songs are tender, immersive, introspective, and meditative. Many of them explore both estrangement and connection, with heartbreak and trauma ongoing themes throughout her songwriting career.

May views music as being a meditative space where learning and healing can reign supreme. Most directly, she’s looking to connect with you, the listener. Despite our different backgrounds and experiences, what we share in common is that we all experience joy and pain. It’s within that space where Anna May really excels as a poet and a songwriter.

Tour Dates:

03/13 – Club Car Bar, Templeton, CA
03/21 – Pali Wine Little Italy, San Diego, CA
03/22 – Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, CA
03/31 – Pete’s Candy Store, Brooklyn, NY
04/12 – Camden Opera House, Camden, ME (opening for Jacob Jolliff)
04/14 – Guest on Playlisted Podcast Live, Nashville, TN
04/26 – Brooklyn Music Kitchen, Brooklyn, NY
05/10 – SLO Public Market, San Luis Obispo, CA
05/11 – Halter Ranch, Paso Robles, CA
05/13 – We Found New Music Showcase, Hotel Ziggy, Los Angeles, CA
05/17 – Wildflower! Music & Arts Festival, Richardson, TX

Anna May “Elegy” single artwork