By Valerie Milano
Las Vegas, NV (The Hollywood Times) 9/19/21 – It’s Anabel Englund’s first time at the Life is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas. And in an exclusive, on-site interview with The Hollywood Times, she praised the festival and told us how she became an influencer, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer.
We love our multi-hyphenates, and Englund defines the term.
Englund is here promoting her new single, “Midnight Rapture” and album “Messing with Magic.” Vegas has already been overturned by the festival, and the up-and-coming artist loves it.
“Ah, this is such a cool festival!” she told THT. “They way they’ve kinda shut streets down and made it this almost mini city kind of festival. It’s pretty awesome.”
Her career leading up to the massive Las Vegas festival has been filled with highlights. And Englund says without hesitation that it’s her intuition that’s led her here.
“I’d say the biggest thing that led me to this point is that I’ve followed my intuition and that I haven’t done anything that I haven’t resonated with,” she explained. “So no matter what, I know, I’ve had many opportunities to, work with a big producer, but I didn’t like the song…The song was a little too cheesy for me or whatever.”
It’s a situation she’s repeatedly faced. And her response to it has always been the same.
“No matter what, I’ve stayed true to myself, and I think that was the most important thing because the minute I decided to go against something that doesn’t resonate with me means the end of my creativity in general. So I think just following my heart, sticking true to myself, that’s the biggest thing that led me here.”
At this level, anxiety can settle in. Between traveling and performing, it can all become a bit much. Englund told us that she has a ritual to deal with the pressure of performing before massive groups like the one at Life is Beautiful.
https://www.twitch.tv/djmagofficial/video/1140095076
“If I feel nervous or like all of a sudden the reality will hit me like: ‘oh my gosh,’ there’s thousands of people staring at you and looking to see what you’re doing. When it all kind-of hits, I just close my eyes and I just feel the music. And I remember why I’m there,” Englund revealed.
“When I’m DJ-ing I’ll just close my eyes and start feeling the music. Or when I’m singing, I’ll just remember what I wrote the song about. And it’s almost like a meditative state because I just bring myself back to what I’m doing right there in the moment.”
As far as inspiration for her own career, the singer says Madonna and SZA (Solana Imani Rowe) top her list. But she also admires a major singer who is also appearing at the festival — Billie Eilish.
“I don’t necessarily listen to her music all the time, but I think her authenticity really draws me in, and I just really admire her as an artist and everything that she’s done,” Englund said. “I just think she’s amazing.”
Following her performance at Life is Beautiful, Englund shared that she will be performing at Bang Bang in San Diego on the 25th of September, and at Monarch in San Francisco on October 2nd.
Part two of our interview with Anabel Englund will be published in a future edition of The Hollywood Times.