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  • Anna Calvi

    Anna Calvi

    ::READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH ANNA CALVI

    When Brian Eno spruiks you on national radio as “the biggest thing since Patti Smith” it can set up enormous expectations. Having been turned onto an at-the-time unsigned Calvi by a friend, Eno then asked her to lunch and become an unofficial mentor of sorts. Nevertheless his lofty declarations on BBC still came as a pleasant shock.

    “Someone from my label (Domino Records) mentioned that he had said that on the radio. Obviously I was flattered, it’s a very sweet thing to say,” Calvi explains. “I don’t feel pressure or anything, ‘coz it’s not like I literally sound like Patti Smith. I think he is just expressing his enthusiasm towards my work, so I should feel very honoured.”

    Calvi gives well-considered and thoughtful answers when asked about her music, as if every element to it has already been the subject of prior analysis. It is no surprise to learn that she spent three years crafting and recording her debut eponymous album in a basement studio. The result is a set of hauntingly lovely tracks, which has seen everyone from NME to The Evening Standard singing her praises. The album is obviously meticulously crafted, and this attention to detail comes up time and time again throughout the interview.

    Standalone single Jezebel.
    “I spent a lot of time working with details,” she confesses “I really wanted the sense that there are songs that sound intimate, and then there are ones which sound large and epic. I like how in classical music, you can feel that tension and release, and I really wanted to try and get that idea in my music. I wanted there to be an orchestral feel to my music, even when orchestral instruments weren’t being used.”

    Co-producer Rob Ellis, best known for his longstanding working relationship with PJ Harvey, came on board after Calvi’s signing to indie powerhouse label Domino allowed her the luxury of recording at Black Box Studio in France. This newfound label reach didn’t sway Calvi from her determined musical path.

    “He [Ellis] was great to work with and he really appreciated the fact that I had a very strong vision. He didn’t try to change it, or put his thing first, he was very respectful to my art, and he is a great producer. It was great collaboration between us.”

    Anna Calvi is out March 4 via Domino Records and EMI

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