NEW SINGLE: Stella Anning 'Watching You As You Fall' + Upcoming Album Yellow Brick Veneer
Stella Anning’s new single and video, ‘Watching You As You Fall,’ offers a humorous take on chaos
+ Forthcoming album Yellow Brick Veneer and tour dates!
Naarm based composer, guitarist, and performer Stella Anning is marking her full emergence as a songwriter with her new single ‘Watching You As You Fall’; the next taste taken from her upcoming body of work Yellow Brick Veneer, out Wednesday 3 September. Exploring themes of motherhood, mental health, identity, and the complexities of personal and familial relationships, her foundation in jazz and composition through her evolving artistry reflects a deeply personal and expressive new phase of her career. For the album's release, Stella will be celebrating with intimate shows along the East Coast this September and October.
Out Wednesday 16 July, 'Watching You as You Fall' finds humour in dark times, capturing the chaos of impostor syndrome and the struggle to appear "okay" while juggling the demands of life and a career. Accompanied by a music video set in the classic suburban streets of Naarm/Melbourne. ‘Along the way, I encounter a rock. This rock becomes a metaphor for the emotional and psychological blockages I’ve experienced in life—those moments where moving forward feels unexpectedly difficult. The video plays with that fine line between external simplicity and internal complexity, blending humour, vulnerability, and a bit of surreal visual chaos.’ says Stella. What appears to be a straightforward scene quickly unravels into something far more chaotic and symbolic, mirroring the mental noise, self-doubt, and impostor syndrome that can creep in, even during something as mundane as a walk down the street.
“The making of the music video was enjoyable and silly, as the full concept is! This is my second music video that I have written, produced and edited myself (The first being “Miss Doug” from my trio album ‘STAT’). It is deeply rewarding (and gruelling!) to do, however, I see it as another extension of my artistic process that I enjoy and will continue to do more.” - Stella Anning
Deeply inspired by the creative community of Naarm, her latest project, Yellow Brick Veneer, showcases Stella’s voice as an expressive instrument and continues her commitment to innovation and vulnerability in her music. Each of the ten tracks unveils a facet of the human journey, inviting listeners to navigate life’s intricacies with openness, all written at a time that coincided with Stella’s journey into motherhood. ‘In the quiet solitude of pregnancy and childbirth during this period, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my past and envisioning the future I hoped for both myself, my child and my community. This experience made me want to write words, to be able to communicate directly with my audience and engage with them in a more personal and meaningful way than my previous instrumental albums.’ - Stella Anning
An established figure in Melbourne’s vibrant jazz scene and a sought-after session musician, Stella has performed with artists such as Guy Sebastian, Thndo, C.W. Stoneking, Kylie Auldist, Nina Ferro, and Clare Bowditch, with performance credits on dozens of records and has taken her on tour across Australia and internationally. These days Stella can be found as the resident guitarist with the Jazzlab Orchestra, performing herself and with other projects at festivals including Bluesfest (with Women of Soul), Clarence Jazz Festival, the National Folk Festival (with John Flanagan), Sound Sorcery Jam, and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. As a bandleader and composer, Stella has released two instrumental albums: Paper Planes and STAT, working with some of Australia’s top improvisers and has performed at major venues and festivals.
Join Stella Anning as she embraces this new body of work that sees her front and centre of her compositions and stories.
'Watching You as You Fall' is out Wednesday 16 July via Ditto + Bandcamp
Yellow Brick Veneer out Wednesday 3 September
Pre-order via Bandcamp