WHO'S THIS: Anjulie
FROM WHERE: Ontario, Canada
WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: Anjulie’s biggest draw is her voice. She’s not a belter like a Mariah or Beyonce, nor is she limited vocally in the way that a lot of female pop acts are these days. Her voice is very unique but definitely melodic. Imagine a less nasal Nelly Furtado. To boot, the fact that she’s a songwriter is apparent. Anjulie’s lyrics paint a picture but aren’t so overwhelming that they affect the danceable sound of her up-tempos. It’s the perfect balance between meaningful words and pop appeal.
MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE: Honestly, her newer music isn’t any different from the pop music that dominates Top 40 radio. Her newest effort “Stand Behind The Music” sounds like a feminine version of a Bruno Mars and B.o.B. mash up. She even raps a little with some considerable skill. Her 2009 self-titled debut doesn’t reek of the themes that dominate pop music. It’s all over the place. There’s a lot of jazzy sounding material, stuff borrowed from popular '60s music and even a little R&B. Overall, she’s versatile and covers a lot of ground sonically.
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD HER ON: Anjulie isn’t exactly a new artist. She has one album already under her belt. Her music has been featured on several television shows, including Vampire Diaries and MTV reality show The Hills. She’s also toured with B.o.B. and, more surprisingly, with Raphael Saadiq. Anjulie’s also stretched her songwriting muscle with some well-known acts. She’s co-written songs for Fefe Dobson and teen actress Emma Roberts. Her music has even been featured in a Sims video game. She’s definitely one of the most known unknown artist in the pop world.
MUST-LISTEN TRACKS: “Stand Behind The Music” is sort of a biographical song chronicling her journey thus far. “Brand New Bitch” is very reminiscent of old Lady Gaga, which isn’t a bad thing. “Headphones” serves plenty of attitude. Her first album is also worth a listen. Standout tracks include “Boom”, “Addicted2Me” and “Some Dumb Girl.”
IN HER OWN WORDS: “It's really important to me to write my music so my fans can relate to me in a real way. I tried singing other peoples lyrics and I failed miserably. I'm not an interpreter, I'm a creator. It also gives me the luxury of playing with different genres,” she told AOL Music last year.
