Karin Ann Talks New Music, Her Voice And More

Critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, and actress Karin Ann opens an evocative new chapter in her artistic journey with the release of her latest single, “i was never yours.” We sat down with her to find out more:

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

I don’t think there’s one particular memory I can pinpoint, I’ve always been surrounded by different types of music and did sports involving music ever since I can remember, so I’ve always been around it.

 

You have your new single ‘i was never yours’ which is out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

 

I don’t like explaining what my songs are about because it’s all there in the lyrics, I also don’t like telling people how my songs should make them feel – I like when people relate to my stories through their stories and experiences, what I can say is that this song is about freedom.

 

The track was co-written by Suki Waterhouse. How did that writing collaboration arise?

 

I was a part of her music video last year and ever since then we were talking about potentially doing a session together, now our schedules finally aligned so we were able to do it!

 

Was it a difficult song to write?

 

No, I wrote the first verse early this year and I already had the melody for it in my voice memos so it was a nice starting point and guideline, everything else came along very quickly, I think we had the first scratch demo done in about half a day.

 

Do you have a visualiser to accompany the track?

We made a music video a couple weeks after writing it, we didn’t even have the master done yet when shooting, that’s how fast it all happened. It was a very fun shoot, a lot of my friends were a part of it!

 

Where did you record the single and who produced it?

In LA where we also wrote it and I worked on it with a producer I’ve been working with for the past 3 years now – Benjamin Lazar Davis.

 


Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

We used a lot of interesting things in the song – we used banjos, a mandolin, fiddle, guitar, bass, peddle steel we also did clapping and stomping takes into the mic, as well as we used sampled sounds of a dancer dancing. 



 

Which of your new tracks hear you at your a.) happiest, b.) angriest and c.) most reflective?

 

I don’t think about my songs in this way or in a particular category, I use songwriting sort of as personal therapy so I think all of my songs are very reflective and all of them channel a lot of different emotions rather than a boxed up one emotion.

 

Do you have any further music releases planned for 2025/2026?


 

I’m always working on new things so I definitely do, but things also always change and adapt depending on a lot of factors behind the scenes so I cannot give you exact dates.

 


Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I love live instruments so while recording as well as on stage I try using as many live instruments as possible.

 

How do you look after your voice?

I’m still working out a routine that would work best for me but a vocal warm up and cool down is a good standard that I always do, manuka honey is something I’ve found very helpful as well as Vocalzone and Grethers, and whenever it’s possible trying to rest my voice or avoid loud environments/speak at a lower volume.

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

It would either be from the Hunger Games series or The Folk of the Air series, both book series are written masterfully and have a lot of important social commentary as well as interesting comments about human psychology which I love.

 


Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?


I don’t think I’m very good at describing things like this haha. I grew up in a village in Slovakia, I was always surrounded by a lot of nature and I also grew up with a lot of animals around.

 

Do you have any live dates in the UK/Europe planned for 2025/2026?

I want to focus on acting a bit more and a bit less on touring, but I am trying to plan a few shows for next year so we’ll see if they work out.

 

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

I listen to a lot of music so it’s hard to narrow it down. I listen to a lot of artists and scores and soundtracks. I think recently what I’ve been listening the most to is a lot of Joan Baez, a lot of old Appalachian folk, the Hadestown Broadway cast recording, the Bonnie and Clyde West End cast recording, and the Evita 2012 Broadway cast recording.

 

What makes Karin Ann happy and what makes you unhappy?

My dogs always make me happy, as well as being in nature and being with the people I love. Storytelling also makes me happy, a lot of what’s going on in the world currently makes me unhappy.

 

Feature Image Photo Credit: Yasmine Kateb

Karin Ann’s latest single “i was never yours” is out now.

Listen Here: https://bfan.link/i-was-never-yours

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itskarinann/