Singer-Songwriter-Composer - Ä-nē-cha (Anecha De)

Ä-nē-cha was first introduced to music by her musician father who was deep in to electronic music such as Tangerine Dream and Mike Oldfield. He departed at age three and her memory of this time is juxtaposed to the sound of Gershon Kingsley's Popcorn. 

Ä-nē-cha continued to grow up in a religion which forbid listening to music (other than hymns) with no music player. Inspired by a family member who's sole harmonies sung loud and live over 500 church singers and then introduced to Fleetwood Mac in the late 70's via a family member she began a lifelong love of singing. Then thanks to the help of a neighbour in the 80's who snuck a record player in to her room, started listening to stacks of EP's from the neighbours dukebox machine business when they were considered expired and discarded. 

"My best memories of my dad were of him singing Johny Cash on stage. I recall watching band practice just before he left home and lived with that deep longing to touch the equipment for all of my life. Yet I lived in a silent music-less home and we had no money for piano lessons to even play hymns. So it felt like music was always, just out of my reach. As a teen I was asked to enter the country music scene but was just too shy and inhibited back then. I wanted to but couldn't play guitar and just couldn't make the leap in my mind."

Ä-nē-cha first studied classical music for 5 years during secondary school but found it entirely dissatisfying playing a clarinet when all she wanted to do was sing, "and it felt like too much focus on the theory and not enough on the heart and modern expression which I longed".  

"I moved to Melbourne in 2003 with the intention of studying acting further and won best female actress awards in 2 eisteddfods, but I ended up studying millinery and meeting many musicians who urged me to sing and write music, resulting in me commencing my formal songwriting journey instead(although I had written for all of the years prior, even in the silence, but never shared my work). 

It's really hard to say who my influences are because there are so many. When I left home I followed an insatiable urge to devour as much music and genres as I could to make up for the lack of music in my childhood. It became like a competition with myself to see how wide my appreciation could span. Probably Fleetwood Mac has had the greatest influence and then Jewel and other like singer-songwriters. I grew up singing hymns but I'm now influenced a lot by jazz and jazz-blues and I'm currently writing music for a neo-cabaret swing set. Then electronic music is still deep in my psyche so I guess my music naturally reflects all those electronic bands I love too, like Enigma, Delirium, Mike Oldfield, Dead Can Dance, Deep Forest etc plus dance music (Skitz, Tiesto & Avicii), world music etc."

Ä-nē-cha has completed a Diploma of Music (Voice) and is currently studying a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Music) online so she can remain in Cairns where she currently resides. 

"Because my composing crosses multiple genres I'm currently developing my music electronically and will find people to play with me along the way. 

I arrived on the band/brand name "Feels Like Alice" because I feel like Alice lost in musical wonderland. Feels Like Alice is an online and real life project like a virtual and real space I invite other musicians in to, to collaborate, co-write and perform live with in different "Chapters" of the Feels Like Alice story. 

I'm resisting committing to any one genre yet because when you've had them taken away you appreciate them all so much.  I hope you come and enjoy the journey with me."

Anecha Anecha.... everything is changing, constantly changing. Metta. x

Follow the Feels Like Alice band chapters at: https://www.facebook.com/FeelsLikeAlice/timeline






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