Anesthesia is a Mexican American singer, songwriter, musician and producer. Ane’s interest in having a career in music began at the age of 19 when she realized she could song-write. Although it was her third release, the first song she ever wrote was “Sol Y Arena.” It was in that moment that Ane knew what it was she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Her first release “Tiempos Mejores” was a collab with Chalio and captured the hearts of many people around the world. “Tiempos Mejores” was about the injustices happening in Chile. Inevitably there is a lot of tragedy and abuse of authority in the world. Anesthesia makes music that not only helps others, but means something to people. Which later down the road led to another collab with Chalio and the creation of “Injusticias”, a response to what happened to George Floyd. “Injusticias” was created in hopes of helping spread the word of what was going on and showing support to the Black Lives Matter movement. “We as humans have brought upon so much hurt not only to others, but to nature and the planet we live in”; Anesthesia wrote “Un Million de Lágrimas” inspired exactly by that. Anesthesia is aware and believes in the karmic energies that surround us, you will always reap what you sow. Anesthesia lives life with the principles her parents instilled in her. Ane wants nothing more that to give back to the world, and those in need through her music and platform.
Anesthesia believes in fate, but knows that persistence and consistency is what’s going to get you to where you want to be in life. Music is that one rock that Ane can always lean on that never fails her. Because of “la belleza y libertad que sostiene la musica” it has allowed her to not only find herself but overcome the toughest of times. Anesthesia’s latest EP called “Anesthesia”, is one of her proudest achievements thus far. It not only has allowed Ane to share with the world her life story, but in a way has freed herself from her past. Ane has also successfully created a song that sums up her life, hopes, and dreams called “Anesthesia”, which is the first track of her Anesthesia EP. Through the 4th track called “Cielo” Ane sheds light on gender inequality, as well as the discrimination and hate members of the LGBTQIA community face on a daily. Anesthesia’s goal in life is to create music that will transcend to the hearts of those that listen. Ane is not afraid to create her own path in becoming a Latin pop artist.
Website: www.anesthesiamusica.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anes_th3sia/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Anesthesia1998/?ref=bookmarks
YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCwg1RRD_7jh2l0XhyI1v-zA
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
I’m currently 22, and for me it was when I wrote my first song at the age of 20. That to me was a turning point like, wow this is amazing how have I barely figured out I can do this. I will say, like anything new I struggled in the beginning with songwriting and it took me months to write my first song which is called “Sol Y Arena.” And it’s still crazy to me because songwriting was never something that I thought I could do. Especially when you think of famous artists, you tend to focus more on their singing, and performance or at least I did. But when it comes to songwriting i’m influenced by everything, I’m just a walking recorder basically. Songs you write don’t always have to be your own personal experiences, the end goal with the song you write is to successfully paint a picture and walk people through a story. And when someone hears it hopefully they can relate, but one thing that will happen is they will interpret your song in a way that relates to them personally; which is what I love about music we all create our own meanings of it. I love listening to music of many genres; Latin pop, trap, Spanish rap, hip hop, and R&B. I grew up listening to a lot of music my parents listened to that included artists like Marco Anontio Solis, Joan Sebastian, Daddy Yankee, Selena, Grupo Mojado, which I revert back to from time to time, but some artists I listen to know are ones like Nanpa Basico, Micro TDH, Paulo Londra, Kid Cudi, Billie Eilish, NF, Bad Bunny, Karol G, Paloma Mami, Nicki Nicole. So I really don’t stick to a specific genre, I like to bounce back like crazy. I think theres beauty in all genres, and I pull elements from all in my songwriting.
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
I personally don’t like to compare myself to other artists, but I look up to Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, they are two amazing top artists at the moment by far. I love their unapologeticness and freedom when it comes to their music. They’re not afraid to fight what they stand for musically and personally, no matter the backlash they get, my respects to that. I myself have already been subject to hate for my own nonconforming persona to society’s gender norms. Nonetheless, I plan to continue to unapologetically be myself, and show my support, and represent the LGBTQIA & Latin community as I’m proudly a part of.
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?
The most difficult thing I’ve had to endure is suffering from a rare medical disorder known as hyperhydrosis that I developed in elementary school and unfortunately it worsens with time. By high school I had developed secondary symptoms of the disorder; anxiety and depression, to which at the time I didn’t even know I had. I isolated myself from what I loved and everything and everyone. But the one thing that kept me going was that dream of one day singing on a stage. At 19 I got ETS surgery that eliminated my hyperhydrosis, but that wasn’t the end I still had the emotional residuals of the medical disorder, anxiety and depression. Now I’m way better, if I sit and think about it I was in this dark hole for so long and it astonishes me how well I am now. Yeah now and then a little bit of that darkness wants to linger with me and take me back to a dark place, but I just revert myself like always to music and with time I get through it. So my life experiences definitely play a key role in my songwriting and music.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?
I don’t do anything special to prepare, as long as I have my phone with me I’m ready to song-write anywhere and anytime of the day. Inspiration can hit at the most random places, could be the shower, car, my room, anywhere really. I usually record melodies in my voice memos, and add lyrics I feel fit to the song I’m writing later. I will ramble the randomest things into my voice memos, but that’s kind of the process for me. My friends also send me beats, and I’ll song-write to those as well, but I’ve definitely song-written utilizing both my piano and ukulele. The songwriting process is unique to everyone, but it’s something that should be fun and free, there really is no wrong way to do it in my opinion. When it comes to final recordings and production of my music, that process is done with both mi amigos Dariush and Chalio in The Corte Cancion Studio aka Dariush’s home studio. They then personally do the final process of mixing and mastering my music, because that is not my forte. They definitely play a huge role in helping me develop my music, and I’m very thankful for them.
5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed? Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
I’ve always been highly persistent, stubborn, but hardworking. I think that is definitely going to come in handy because I’m well aware of the difficulty it is to get recognized and now that just about anyone can put music out you do really have to find and market yourself accordingly to stand out from the crowd. That’s what I plan to do really, work and market myself to the best of my abilities, and gain more exposure from performing to get myself some of that word of mouth credibility. I do think the traditional music industry model is slowly crumbling. But I think money unfortunately is where the power is and the major labels have the monetary means to hold that prestige, therefore they are still highly valuable in the music industry. That being said, now more than ever there is a surge of successful independent artists that are able to make a living doing what they love. Which I think that is slowly chipping away at the major labels. But overall, getting a major label’s attention and getting a deal from them is still seen as a huge accomplishment because the amount of exposure they can bring to you is just insane.
6.) Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in music?
I just recently graduated last May from California Lutheran University with a degree in Music Production, and was PreMed in UCLA’s Extension Program for one quarter, Fall 2020. I just recently decided that as much of a fulfilling job it is to be a doctor, by helping and being of service to others. It just wasn’t making me genuinely happy the way music does, music is my first love and I just have an emotional attachment to it as it has helped me in a way nothin else ever has; so I hope to help others through my music. I’m not yet making a living from my music, I’m more so using it to market myself and get my name out there. I’m working as a caregiver at the moment to help fund all my music endeavors, and thanks to the full support of my parents I really am able to follow my dreams. I truly am doing this for my family as well, my parents mean the world to me and they’ve risked many things to give my brother and I everything we could possibly need. This year I’m really focusing on building my experience in the performance aspect of being an artist, but due to Covid being able to do live performances at the moment are a bit tough; so I’m planning on doing live virtual performances for the time being. Post Covid, I will actively look for gigs to open up for other established local acts. My goal is to eventually be the main act and selling out local shows, and building myself from there. My advice to someone interested in pursuing a career in music would be to really meditate on it, is it something you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life? Because it’s a career you gotta be ready to do the work and hustle, your doing basically everything for yourself as the artist in the beginning. What I mean by that is, it’s really up to you to get yourself exposure through your own marketing, looking for your own gigs, and also very important is to network with other artists and music industry professionals, never lose an opportunity to do so. You also have to be okay with all the no’s you’re gonna get right off the bat, cause I can assure you there will be many. But don’t ever let that discourage you or change any of your artistic decisions; never fit in, don’t be afraid to be different ever. Slowly build your team of loyal people you can trust, and if you really genuinely have the heart for it, just don’t give up.
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
I don’t think that it would be viable if anything for any musician or artist to sustain themselves without having social media. Social media is just a huge part of society nowadays and apart from that it’s free marketing for anybody, so how can you not utilize it to your advantage. I think honestly it’s a huge part of not only marketing yourself as an artist, but connecting with your fans. You can keep them up-to-date with all your upcoming projects, and really just connect with them on a personal level as well. It really does help with branding yourself, and letting others know what you’re really about and who you are as a person.
8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
I will say for those artists who are seen as “sell-outs,” one’s gotta do what they gotta do, people got bills to pay period. But I think there can always be a balance to not be this “sell-out” artist you know. I personally think authenticity in the end is what sells, so always staying true to what I believe in, my principles, and my style and who I am is what I will always do. In the end I just want to make music that resonates to others, and means something. So I wouldn’t sell out my creative freedom to just be famous or be loved, people love those who aren’t trying to be something they’re not; that’s what I plan to stick too.
9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
In 5 years I plan to have celebrated many firsts and achievements in my career as Anesthesia. I will also be strategizing with my team what cities will be part of the Anesthesia tour. I really believe in manifestation, and I say this more as a way to hold myself accountable cause I know I’m going to put in the work to make this happen. So I will be to working my ass off these next 5 years, and I always and forever will continue to dream big. “Go big or go home.”
I really do just love making music, it’s my world.