EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Anna Thompson Talks Centerpiece, TikTok, and Euphoria!

Have you heard of Anna Thompson? If you haven’t, you need to look her up right now! Although wait until the end of the interview *wink wink*. Anna is a singer and songwriter, hailing from Seattle, Washington. After going viral on TikTok, she decided to start working on her pop record and just recently released her debut EP called Centerpiece.

Centerpiece is honestly one of our favorite releases this year. It is the pop record that we have been waiting for! The entire vibe, music videos, and photography that have come along with the record are our Euphoria/bubblegum pop star dreams come true. We here at The Honey POP officially claim Anna as an artist to watch out for!

Since the release of her song ‘Telepathically,’ we have been itching to talk to Anna and get the scoop! And it is finally here. We got to speak to her and get the exclusive on her new music, future plans, and what the X mark on her cheek means!

What made you want to start releasing your music on TikTok? And what has the support from your fans been like?
TikTok seemed like a relaxed environment; where I had the ability to post raw content full of mistakes and people would still enjoy it. I like being able to show the transformation from a song I wrote in my bedroom, to a fully produced record. The support has been incredible, I wouldn’t have the streams I do on my songs if it weren’t for TikTok.

We absolutely love your style, and the X mark on your cheek seems to be a pretty important part of you. Could you tell us the secret meaning? 
There’s no secret meaning! I started doing it when I was 13 because I thought it looked cool. It became an everyday thing, and I never stopped.

Could you tell us a little bit about how you came up with the theme surrounding your debut album, Centerpiece?
I was writing a lot of love songs. I realized they all told a cohesive story, and decided I wanted to put them together on an EP. I was thinking about how the person these songs are about is really the “centerpiece” of the entire project. Initially, that thought made me want to write a song called Centerpiece, but I couldn’t come up with anything. It made the perfect title instead.

Your music videos have a colorful, ethereal feel to them. What made you want to go in that direction?
I have very few opinions on aesthetics. Especially when it comes to my music. I just love the bright color and wanted the visuals to reflect the bubblegum pop star feel I tried to bring into this project. It’s what 5 year old me would’ve envisioned my visuals to look like.

Justin Frick directed your music videos for ‘Telepathically’ and ‘Dreams About Him.’ Both videos, although different, have the same vibe. How important was it for you to expand on your first music video and keep the same vibe while also showcasing the differences in each song?
The two videos likely ended up having similar vibes because we planned and shot them at the same time! I’m happy we did it that way because I like the project having a cohesive feel visually.

Could you expand on the process behind creating each video? How closely did you work with Justin, and who came up with the style of video?
We face-timed a few times to plan out both videos. Justin and I are both big fans of HBO’s Euphoria, so a lot of the visuals in the ‘Telepathically’ video are very inspired by that. The only other input I gave him was a reference photo for the “chaos bedroom” set featured in the ‘Dreams About Him’ video. The rest, I let him run with. I love Justin’s style and seldom have ideas for visuals. I prefer to let the professionals have creative freedom and interpret the song in a way they see fit.

‘Dream About Him’ is about a personal experience you had. Is that how most of your songs come to light? 
Yes! Most of my songs are heavily inspired by something I’m going through. The entire EP is about different experiences I had falling in love with somebody. If nothing engaging is happening in my life, it’s harder to write. However, when writing for other people especially, I try my best to take a different perspective. Sometimes telling stories that aren’t actually mine is a great way to go about writing when I’m not personally inspired.

When you write your music, do you go into the studio with a concept in mind, or have you already thought of a lyric that you want to expand on?
I write the entire song before I go into the studio. I prefer writing by myself these days. I come up with scattered lyrics and melodies, sit down at the piano, and turn them into a finished song. Then, I go to the studio, cut the topline a cappella, and put production underneath. Once there’s a solid foundation, I go back in and re-cut nicer vocals, harmonies, ad-libs, and finish up the production.

Gemma Cross, @missgemmaeve, was the photographer behind your album cover. How did you come to work together and how important was it for you to find a photographer that could create what you had envisioned?
I met Gemma on Instagram! I saw her work on a mutual’s page, fell in love with it, and followed her. She’d actually seen my TikToks and DM’d me. We met for the first time shooting the cover art for ‘Like That.’ She introduced me to Max Kassidy and Sarah Archer who styled the ‘Like That’ and Centerpiece shoot respectively. It was so wonderful meeting her and getting to work with such an amazing group of women on my visuals. They kill it every time. Very much looking forward to working with them on future projects.

What can we expect from future Anna?
I never stopped writing after finishing Centerpiece. More music is to be expected this May!

We absolutely loved getting to chat with Anna and are so excited to see what the future holds for her. Stream her debut EP here!

Had you heard of Anna Thompson before? Were you surprised by any of her answers? Be sure to let us know all your thoughts by commenting down below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Facebook and Instagram!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ANNA THOMPSON:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

Featured Image Source: Gemma Cross + BiBi Lara, Graphic Design Team Member for The Honey POP