Steve Likoski
Anna Graves, the Minnesota-born singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, has just released her debut single “Easy For You”, and it’s nothing short of hauntingly beautiful. With candid lyrics that feel like an intimate late-night conversation and a stripped-down production that lets Anna’s soulful voice shine, “Easy For You” is a preview of what’s to come from her upcoming EP, GHOSTLAND.
The song’s inspiration comes from a painful breakup Anna experienced while living in Nashville. “It devastated me,” she admits. “My ex was talking mad shit about me, and it hurt. The only thing I could do was say, ‘If that’s the way you cope, do what you’ve got to do in order to make life as easy as possible.’ It was the start of the EP.”
The accompanying music video, filmed on Anna’s family horse farm in small-town Minnesota, explores themes of solitude, reflection, coming home, and running away again. Director Hannah Edelman beautifully captures the ethereal, contemplative nature of the song and the EP as a whole.
Anna’s upbringing on a small horse farm without a TV encouraged her and her brother to develop their imaginations through painting, writing and spending time outdoors. Her early musical influences include legends like Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, and Bob Dylan, as well as fellow Minnesotans Prince and Tracy Chapman.
With GHOSTLAND, Anna is ready to let go of the ghosts that have been holding her back and share her introspective, emotional journey with the world. “This is for my over-thinkers,” she says. “It’s for those slow and introspective moments. I hope you listen to my music and that it touches an emotion and makes you feel the same way I did when I first discovered my favourite songwriters.” And after hearing “Easy For You,” we have no doubt that Anna Graves will become a favourite for many listeners.
