| Singer-songwriter Annette Artani
Setting new standards in pop music
Annette Artani's jet-setting existence may be hectic but she loves bouncing back and forth between New York City and LA – networking, negotiating deals, and collaborating with various producers and songwriters for a forthcoming EP.
Born and raised in New York and the daughter of Greek immigrants, Annette was immersed in music from the get go, particularly the gut-wrenching offerings of before-her-time greats such as Etta James, Aretha Franklin and Nana Mouskouri. Annette grew up surrounded by family.
"At one point, we all lived together in this three-apartment house in Corona – my parents, my big sister, my grandparents and my aunt and uncle," she recalls. “Everyone had a hand in raising me. I come from a strong cultural background. My parents' values were always much more traditional than most Americans'. This caused some turmoil for me, particularly as a teenager."
"I live to sing," she confides. "Even when I'm in traffic, with the windows open." Annette's vocal chords are impressive – she knows how to leave her own distinctive stamp on a song.
True to her roots, Annette's songs fuse the oud and bouzouki-laced instrumentations of her Greek culture with a modern, street-wise pop, rock and blues sound. "I'm not into following existing trends", she explains. "I write from the soul. And I'm out to set some new standards in pop music!"
As a singer-songwriter, Annette wrote several of the tunes for her upcoming EP while dashing around the world with Britney Spears. One of only two backup vocalists on the pop princess's ‘Dream Within A Dream’ tour, Annette travelled the globe, as she puts it, "singing and dancing my butt off!" During time spent hanging with Britney at her Hollywood home, they also wrote some songs together. Their ballad ‘Everytime’ was included on Britney's ‘In The Zone’ CD.
"Next to performing live, writing is the biggest rush," says Annette of her newly minted status as a published songwriter. "That tour proved to be a very creative period. No matter how exhausted I was, back on the bus, or in my hotel room, I just kept writing. It was so empowering to find my voice and have these songs pour out of me."
Unpretentious and secure in her disdain for all things glitzy, trendy or trashy, Annette is the first to tell you, "I've never been one to follow the crowd. I'd like to be a force to be reckoned with."
Tagged a "real singer" by industry colleagues, she delivers the goods in a supple, chameleon-like voice that runs the gamut from smoky to high-powered. Channelling inspiration for her potent pop songs, Annette draws on the mix of musical styles she absorbed while coming of age in Queens: '80s Michael, Madonna, Whitney and Mariah, plus classic songbirds like Aretha, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald – all, thanks to her parents, mixed with Greek musical icons such as Marinella and Theodorakis.
For her upcoming project, Annette joined forces with some high-profile hit-makers.
"We seem to have a good vibe going,” she says. “My lyrics are pretty intense, autobiographical, and I'm so fortunate to be working with people who share my vision."
Having recently moved to Los Angeles, Annette's work still keeps her bouncing between both coasts. "My EP is my first priority," she explains. "But I'm continuing to write for other artists, and I'm re-establishing my acting career." (Annette’s film and television credits include NBC's ‘Law & Order’).
Although a self-described ‘yogini’ and pilates freak, she has no patience for the national obsession to be, in her words, "thinner, blonder, more botoxed!" She feels that the unrealistic female images in videos and magazines send a negative message to women, especially young girls.
"I didn't always have a strong sense of personal self," she confesses, "but trying to twist myself into some cookie cutter ideal of so-called perfection was extremely limiting, not to mention boring! In life, as in music, being true to yourself is what it's all about."
Annette's song ‘Everytime’ (written with Britney Spears) charted at number 15 on the Billboard HOT 100 on 24 July 2004. |
