The greatest and most remarkable success of Anne-Marie is her ability to be herself.
With looks like a younger Britney Spears has met a cast member of ‘The Only Way Is Essex’, a speaking voice as cockney as Adele, and singing capabilities as powerful as any of her diva contemporaries, UK singer-songwriter Anne-Marie proved she had all the qualities of a superstar very early on in her career and in a relatively short period of time, she has become the darling of the pop world.
Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson was catapulted into the spotlight when she appeared on electronic music group Clean Bandit’s mega-single ‘Rockabye’ alongside Sean Paul in 2016.
Propelled into the mainstream when she released her debut album ‘Speak Your Mind’ in 2018, Anne-Marie was marked as the UK’s biggest-selling debut artist of 2018, also charting in the ARIA Top 20.
Her bright, bubbly brand of tropical pop and dance-based production received mixed reviews from critics, The Guardian observing 'Anne-Marie has something of a plain-speaking everywoman image,' and NME saying ''Speak Your Mind' fails to leave much of an impression musically'.
“If I’m connecting to a young audience, then gender, racism and sexuality need to be spoken about.” - Anne-Marie
Regardless of the divide among critics, Anne-Marie regularly sells out venues, has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry, and is of course, on the return to Australia later this month for her second run of shows in as many years.
Everybody loves her. A video of Anne-Marie’s show at the UK's Brighton Music Hall last October sees the singer poised on a darkened stage, dressed in a cute checkered top and skirt number, blonde hair cascading down her back as she introduces the featured song.
She takes a moment, then it’s a quick introduction to her hit ’2002’, co-written with long-time friend Ed Sheeran, which is met by an almost instant scream from her audience, an apparently embarrassed and surprised Anne-Marie stepping away from her microphone momentarily to savour the moment and the magic of the situation she finds herself in.
There’s several such videos of Anne-Marie online, all with the singer performing as clearly and as spectacularly live as she is heard on the radio. Live acoustic collaborations with Ed Sheeran, collaboration videos with Clean Bandit, Rudimental, Marshmellow and countless others, give fans access to her quirky, playful nature.
Anne-Marie is as likeable as a person as she is as a performer, the sheer volume of footage of her live performances at festivals, local, national, and around the world are testament to the hard work the 27-year-old has put in to getting to where she is today.
Speaking with Miami’s Y100 Michelle Fay recently, Anne-Marie discussed her Brit Award Nomination for Best British Single, Best British Video, Best British Album (for ‘Speak Your Mind’) and Best British Female Artist, as well as her iHeartRadio nominations for Dance Song of The Year and Best Cover Song for ‘Friends’ and ‘Rewrite The Stars’ respectively.
The musical success of this young woman is of course, impressive, but it’s Anne-Marie’s down-to-earth nature and unapologetic manner that seems to be her biggest draw.
“All of that stuff you hear on my album is true to my life,” she said in an interview with Harpers Bazar last year. Anne-Marie, it seems, is the physical embodiment of a celebration of life’s and an individual’s imperfections.
Where some pop stars can come across as indifferent in interviews and exercise a calm distance from the world outside their art, Anne-Marie is far more warm and approachable. “I always want to be seen as a person and not as a famous pop star,” she told The Line Of Best Fit in an interview a year ago.
“I don't feel like that and I don't want people to think that about me.”
It seems that no matter what Anne-Marie does or where she goes, if you were to look up the definition of down-to-earth you’d likely see her wide and infectious grin staring back at you.
And it’s because the subject matter of her music is so real that Anne-Marie is adored by so many. From narratives on cheating boyfriends, puppy love, anxiety, to paying homage to the soundtrack of her youth, Anne-Marie has tapped into an increasingly competitive market where it seems to be yourself is more unique than trying to stand out.
Anne-Marie’s realness is her biggest seller. And after her performances in Australia later this month, it’s likely more footage will emerge online of the pop superstar, showing her to be just as endearing and as warm as existing snapshots into her lifestyle and career would have you believe.
But ultimately, the best way to really understand the sway Anne-Marie has over her audience is to of course attend one of her shows. Even she herself, speaking to UK’s Glamour magazine, insists upon using her platform of privilege to make a discernible change.
“If I’m connecting to a young audience, then gender, racism and sexuality need to be spoken about,” she said. “I want people to enjoy my songs and feel positive listening to them, but I also want them to feel something.”
Anne-Marie 2019 Tour Dates
Sat 30 Mar - Eatons Hill Hotel (Brisbane)Sun 31 Mar - Enmore Theatre (Sydney)
Tue 2 Apr - 170 Russell (Melbourne)
Wed 3 Apr - Prince Bandroom (Melbourne)
Thu 4 Apr - HQ (Adelaide)
Sat 6 Apr - Metro City (Perth)
