Meet Annie DiRusso

Nashville/NYC-based Annie DiRusso cuts through all the hubbub and noise with some darn honest and driving rock tunes. The artist leverages familiar tropes of rock and roll ethos and charges them up to explode with a fresh perspective. In our latest interview, we chat with Annie DiRusso about her single “20”, self-portraits, and ice cream.

A self-portrait by, Annie DiRusso

Would You Rather

only be able to buy things with coins or by trading random objects? Please explain.

I would rather only be able to buy things by trading random objects. I am the keeper of many random objects and I feel as though this would help to regulate the amount of stuff I have at any given time.

Some questions with Annie DiRusso

If you could create your own Ben and Jerry’s flavor, what would it be? Why?

It would be “mood ring” and it would be a flavor that changed according to the mood of the person eating it. I would do this so that my ice cream could tell me how I feel.

What is the creative drive behind your single “20”?

I was toying around with the melody in “20” for months before I actually started to write the song. I really was attached to the melody but I was having a hard time finding lyrics that felt right with it. Around this exact time last year as it started to near my 20th birthday - which in my head seemed like a big deal - the idea for this song came about. It centers around the expectations I had as a kid for what my life would be like as a 20 year old.

What are your thoughts on streaming platforms? Have they helped or hindered the industry?

This is a tough question because streaming services have both helped and hindered the industry. I think the rise of these services has made it farrrrrrr more accessible to be an artist than it ever has been. They have allowed visibility for smaller acts like me and I think that is a really awesome side of streaming. However it is nearly impossible to support yourself with income strictly from this type of music consumption. That being said, it gives many more artists the opportunity to build a fan base and in-turn generate income with merch and live shows. I’m almost positive that my music would not have reached the amount of people it has without streaming services such as Spotify. So overall I guess it depends on what you value in the industry to decide whether streaming has helped or hindered it. For me at this point I would say it has helped.

What differences do you notice between the NYC and Nashville music scenes?

The music scene in New York is a bit scattered in my mind compared to Nashville. It feels like in NYC there are a lot of different little scenes throughout the city that don’t often mix. While in Nashville everything feels a bit more connected and community oriented. Music is also the main focus in the city of Nashville while New York has a lot of cool other things happening.

Do you have a favorite kind of cake? Why is it your favorite?

I like the really pretty cakes. Pretty cakes are the best. Check out the instagram @banana_haruki for the prettiest cakes.

What does your family think of your music?

I reached out to my family for their answers on this one and the answers were so wildly nice that I’m not even sure if I can share them. They are really supportive.

What do you want listeners to take away from your music?

I want listeners to be able to really relate to the lyrics and the feeling. The other day someone messaged me on instagram saying they felt like they were a ghost writer on “20” because it felt exactly like something they went through. I think that’s really cool, and I want all my listeners to feel like ghost writers.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Vote!!!

Annie DiRusso