Insider Beat: Anna Shoemaker blazes new trails with sophomore record
It can be difficult to learn how to strum a guitar or memorize piano keys, but for most singer-songwriters, the skill that takes the most time to perfect is authenticity — the keyword here being "most." For musician Anna Shoemaker, this was never an issue.
After familiarizing herself with raw, real icons like Johnny Cash and Sheryl Crow on drives with her grandfather and parents, Shoemaker knew that music was a natural fit for her, especially because it would allow her to say whatever she wanted. Since then, it's been a long, winding path filled with personal and professional breakthroughs that have culminated in her sophomore album.
In an interview with The Daily Targum, rising star Shoemaker shared how she manages to capture these intimate moments of her life through music and the healing power of long car rides.
Even though she experiments with different melodies and harmonies, she never comes across as a tourist in a given genre. Paired with exciting production and sincere vocals, the indie rocker continues to tinker with her sound, with every new drop feeling like a natural progression for the artist.
Longtime fans of Shoemaker can almost chart out and plot the distinct ebbs and flows of her career. Following humble beginnings of releasing inventive covers on SoundCloud — including a viral mashup of "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe," "Cocoa Butter Kisses," "Girls Love Beyoncé" and "Say My Name" — her most recent release, "Fields," a plucky, folk-pop fusion, reveals a more defined sense of self.
Still, as Shoemaker continues to grow and explore her identity as a person and an artist, she notes the importance of reflection. Throughout her life, music has become a tool for growth, forcing her to confront her issues head-on and unearth pain she hadn't fully recovered from. This tradition continues with her upcoming project, which she labeled as a breakup album.
"It's hard to listen back to sometimes because it's very personal, but I think I really needed to write it to kind of get through that stuff," she said. "When I learn is when I listen back and I'm, like, 'What? Oh my God. I didn't even know I felt that way about the situation.'"
While this vulnerability has endeared her to fans, especially with tracks like "ADHD" and "It's Depression (feat. Middle Part)," for the artist, it's easier said than done. Even with an album, singles and countless live performances under her belt, it still takes a hefty emotional strain to completely open yourself up on stage or in a recording studio.
But what makes it all worthwhile is a cohesive final product and the ability to make her audience feel heard. To achieve this, Shoemaker mentioned getting lost in her own world and disregarding potential criticisms or outside noise.
"The most important thing is to not think about putting out the songs and not thinking about other people hearing them when you're writing the song," she said. "When you go to put the song out, then you can worry about, 'Is this too much?' 'Is this too crazy?' But I think the creation part has to be very sacred."
As a result, her progress stems from her experiences and self-reflection, driven by her own choices, not others' expectations. Whether it's an eye-opening road trip she took in 2023 or relocating from her hometown of Philadelphia to Brooklyn, New York, and, now, to Los Angeles, these changes have helped her discover who she is, independent of the people and places around her.
Rather than run away from her problems, Shoemaker saw these long drives and stops in distant places like Idaho and Nashville as necessary opportunities for rumination that everyone should indulge in.
"However you're feeling is justified, and you should feel your feelings," she said. "Don't shove anything down. Just be yourself. I know that sounds so corny, but it's the most important thing. There's only one of you."
Another crucial aspect of the songwriting and evolution process involves setting boundaries and knowing when to put the guitar, pen and notebook down. While some artists might distract themselves with a book, for Shoemaker, it's unwinding before bed with some "Gilmore Girls," which is just as valid.
As Shoemaker prepares for the rollout of her upcoming album and another exploration of the different corners of the U.S., this time on tour with fellow East Coast artist Joe P, she enters another chapter of her career. But her destination remains the same.
"At the end of the day, I think that the whole thing that I've always done since I started making music was just be really, really myself to a fault," she said. "When you're growing, you obviously go through different phases ... Hopefully, people want to go through that too with me."
