Edward Anthony has a longstanding history with music. From his burgeoning high school passion for songwriting, to his 2016 debut album Miscellaneous alongside esteemed producer Joseph Conty, Anthony has continued to grow as an artist through the years.
In 2022, Anthony stepped into the most authentic version of himself and transitioned. His upcoming project entitled Them is a powerful profile on his journey toward self-acceptance featuring visceral duets with his former self prior to the transition. Analyzing the effects that identity has played on both his music and development as an individual, Them is an incredibly emotional and unabashedly intimate story of becoming one’s true self.
Celebmix caught up with Edward Anthony to talk about his upcoming project Them, his artistry, and more in an exclusive interview!
Can you elaborate on the subject matter and thematic focus of your upcoming project Them?
This upcoming project is one of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on. It’s a turning point in my life in all aspects. It’s the start of a new era for me as well as the first thing I’ve done since lockdown happened. The main focus is the reinvention of who I am personally, professionally, and artistically.
Opening up a dialogue with your former self is a unique and intriguing concept. How did you come up with that idea?
I know I wanted to do something that marked this transitional point in life and I wanted to do it in a way that started the new chapter while still recognizing and honoring the old one. Myself and others spent a lot of time and effort on all the things I’ve done so far, and each piece has played a role in who I am; so erasing it didn’t feel right. This is where the dialogue idea arose. I knew I had archives of music that hadn’t been used yet, so I figured why not use them and create this combo piece of old and new.
What was the writing process like for Them? How did you strike a balance between sharing intimate moments of your personal story and maintaining a sense of privacy?
Long. It’s been an up and down process, especially because it’s essentially been mirroring life, which has also been an up and down, ever-changing journey. It’s that balance of what I want to express versus what I want to keep to myself that’s been fairly tricky. Especially the how, because it’s not as much what I want to say but how I want to say it.
How did it feel to create a duet with your former self? What aspects of your personality shift between your past and current self and which remain the same?
Emotional in a weird way. It feels like a mourning as well as a celebration. Sometimes it feels very much like I’m collaborating with myself and sometimes it feels like it’s someone else. It can get a little weird to be honest, but also really fun. Especially because I’m incorporating pieces of archived music that I didn’t ever think would see the light of day. So creating this has felt like an arduous but satisfying puzzle.
It’s evident that your music is deeply connected to your personal journey. Does the album directly reflect the changes and growth you’ve experienced in your own life, particularly your transition in 2022?
Yes, definitely. It’s a bridging of two eras of sorts. It represents the past, the changes, and the future.
Would you consider the styles of music embodied by your past self and present self to be complementary?
In some ways, yes. But in others, not as much. It really depends from song to song. There are pieces that I’ve rediscovered in my archives while working on this project that I remember loving at one point, then hating at another. And now I’m back to seeing a future for them. I think the various styles weave together fairly well. They’re definitely not the same though.
You’ve been called an “old soul” because of your inspiration sparked from figures including Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sam Cooke, and Jackie Wilson. You’re also influenced by newer artists like Sam Smith and Taylor Swift. How do you find a happy medium between classic icons and modern voices in your music?
It tends to happen naturally. I let the style of each song find itself and, so far, I think the balance of influence has been pretty good. I haven’t focused a lot on intentionally keeping a happy medium. So if it has been able to do so, it’s purely luck. But I enjoy that freedom in creating.
Transitioning into a new creative phase can be both exciting and challenging. How do you approach the process of reinventing your sound while maintaining your artistic identity?
I really rely on intuition, mainly. It’s not very technical, but a lot of my decisions have been backed by a gut feeling. If it feels right and authentic, then it’s a green light. It took a bit to get comfortable with that though. I tried to make it more technical in the beginning, but when you’re dealing with emotions and creativity, there’s only so much technicality you can use.
What emotions, messages, and narratives do you hope listeners will recognize in Them?
I hope that listeners will get whatever they need out of the project. It’s got a lot of aspects to it and a lot of different meanings. It means a lot of different things even to me, so I think there’s something for everyone in there. If I had to choose something in particular to highlight, however, I hope people get that change doesn’t have to be a looming or negative thing. Change, even if a little scary, can be celebrated.
How do you envision your upcoming project impacting your community?
I’m not sure to be honest. I hope well, of course. I hope it can serve as something someone can look at if they’re in a place at all similar to the one I was in. Change, especially if you feel alone in it, can be stifling. I hope the project can be something someone can relate with and find solace in.
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