It is an honor indeed to present you with the multi-faceted genius of Ana April. For this visionary who lives and works out of Switzerland, there is no such thing as a divide between the two dimensions of visual art and sound art as he knows it; it doesn’t exist for him at all. Where other artists refer to a combination of both worlds, Ana lives the truth of it, being not only an accomplished scenographer, having created amazing stage designs and exhibitions for some of the top-notch clients of the industry, but also developing in parallel her music career, which is now rightfully picking up speed. Indeed, it has just dropped us one of its latest singles, “Revolution,” on the 10th of July. We need to dig deeper into the details of this track.
The song begins with an extremely warm and welcoming melody as if someone had wrapped his/her arms around you. It is within the first few bars that Ana April creates an environment so soothing and comforting that once it envelops you, you know you can’t escape from it with ease. And it is then that you will realize how easily you fall under the influence of the music, because you won’t just listen to it, but you will feel it, too. And when the ambience of the song has finally settled in, you won’t even need any further convincing to be sure of giving your full attention to the song.
While the first few notes might tempt you into believing in the deception of its seemingly warm accessibility, don’t be fooled, for “Revolution” has more than anything else a powerful message to convey. As someone who has had many years to observe Ana April in her journey through design and music, I can confidently say that this particular piece was made for the reflective soul. Unlike an activist’s manifesto yelled into a megaphone, “Revolution” acts as an insistence on the psyche of the listener. As someone who likes to watch the world go by rather than being in the thick of things, I find it remarkable how the track seems to say that revolutions aren’t made in the street or even at the voting booth, but somewhere far inside the mind itself. It is a lesson in subtlety; April calls upon the listener to deconstruct the inflexible frameworks of thought that have taken generations to build up. She urges us to consider the reality around us with a sense of detachment from the burden and suffocation caused by preconceptions and biases rooted in history. This act of self-deconstruction creates a vacuum in which real growth can begin to happen. In many ways, the song serves as a mirror that makes us question who we could become once we allow ourselves to think outside the box. It is a call for personal liberation, a silent rallying cry for the person to reclaim control of his or her own story, and let me tell you, it is the most intellectually engaging track I’ve ever heard written by her. And this is precisely why she is a rising star of the independent music industry.
As we remove the curtain from the production of Ana April’s art, what emerges is the voice of a sonic architect in her prime. The hallmark of Ana April’s music lies in the texture and atmosphere of her works, which blend to form a sound that is unmistakable and highly soulful. What sets her music apart is the ability to effortlessly cross the boundaries between traditional music architecture and innovative artistic expression, drawing the listener into a rich and imaginative space. For Ana, metaphor and symbolism are not just embellishments but also a form of structure for her work. In terms of her musical choices and her harmonies in general, everything that she uses instrumentally is thought out. There is a breath of life in her works, and it is done in a way that is not often accomplished in such complicated compositions. Her guitar, her keys, her drums, and her percussion instruments are used in a way of a sculptor and create a perfect platform for her singing.
It cannot be overlooked how her other life as a scenographer has taken her musical process to an entirely different level altogether. She clearly possesses a high level of proficiency in designing spaces and exhibitions, which has enabled her to understand dramaturgy in such a way that enables her to look at a song like a space with keen consideration for timing, lighting, and emotional significance. There is an obvious sense of purpose in her work, but she manages to keep a wonderful balance in her work by carefully blending meticulous planning with an all-important element of spontaneous creation. These are all reasons that I have become her fan, and why I look forward to hearing more of her music.
Stream “Revolution” on Spotify
Follow Ana April here and her socials: Instagram, Bandcamp
