English singer Anne-Marie | photo credit: special arrangement
While interest in sports saw UK-born singer Anne-Marie win world championships, her passion for music is finding her appreciation and personal satisfaction. The singer, who is currently on her first visit to India for the VH1 Supersonic concert in Pune, is a double gold winner at the Funakoshi Shotokan Karate Association World Championships in 2002, gold and silver in 2007, and gold at the United Kingdom Traditional Karate Federation National Championship.
before releasing his debut album speak your mind In 2018, Anne-Marie released a solo demo for Rocket Records titled ‘Summer Girl’ in 2013 and in 2015, she released her debut EP titled karate, This EP consists of three original singles and the Chloe Martini remix. Two singles from the album, a slick fusion of R&B and electro-grime, and the follow-up ‘Gemini’, became hits. The UK music industry caught attention when she was featured as the lead singer in Clean Bandit’s song ‘Rockabye’ and ‘Psycho’ released in 2022 with Aitish became Tik-Toker’s delight.
Indian connection
Anne-Marie last year collaborated with singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh for the song ‘Peaches’. “I met him in London and fell in love with him and ended up doing ‘Peaches’. It was a beautiful experience, his voice is absolutely incredible,” says Anne-Marie who has collaborated with musicians like Snakeships, Marshmello and Clean Bandit. He found his voice and legs. “It was a process of gaining experience and perspective that helped me find my voice. Once I knew what I wanted to write about and how I wanted to approach my music as a diary, I was ready. Those collaborations make it a little less scary than dipping a toe in the water.
Her voice has a rapid pitch and a soothing tonal quality, while her lyrics have a sensibility that doesn’t compromise her work. His track ‘Perfect’ talks about accepting imperfect bodies. “This is one of my favorite songs. At the time of writing this, I was watching some women on YouTube talking about body confidence and they were so inspiring. I wanted to write a song about the perfection trap It was such a common insecurity but I knew I needed to be specific about my experience as well, so I included everything I’m ashamed of and put it out there. Hopefully, some people can hear this and be humbler and more accepting of themselves. Imperfections are what make us beautiful.”
taking karate
Anne Marie, who started karate at a very young age, says she was immediately hooked. “None of my parents do it but they encouraged me because I enjoyed it so much! I fell in love with karate early on – I was only 9 years old – and that was it! From that point on I Was bent over, and couldn’t see anything.
She released her first EP titled karate in 2015 with three original singles and a Chloe Martini remix. The album’s two singles, a fusion of R&B and electro-grime, and the follow-up ‘Gemini’ placed Anne-Marie on the pop charts. “It was my first release so it was very exciting. It was a crazy whirlwind! I still love those songs,” recalls Anne Marie.
Anne-Marie shares her experiences in You Deserve Better – An Imperfect Guide to Finding Your Happiness In which he shared his experiences during the pandemic lockdown. “I’ve always tried to be as honest and open as I can in my music, and I think the community of fans I’ve built is based around that too. We share problems and help each other out ;There’s so much support and goodwill out there. I wanted to write something that encapsulated the support we’ve exchanged, as well as what I’ve learned going through therapy for the first time during lockdown and how it’s changed my life Changed it. There were a lot of things that I thought would be helpful for fans to pass along and have available in one place. Hopefully, people have found this beneficial!
Anne Marie has been an athlete, singer, and writer at various stages of life, but prefers to be known as a musician first. “I can’t imagine life without music,” she says.