Feature Image Credit Ron Dadon
The first thing Ana Sky tells you is that she never thought this life was possible. “It was a secret dream I never would have said out loud,” she says. “Because I thought it was so impossible.” The view ahead, she’s preparing to open for Jesse McCartney on a 24-city North American tour. It’s the kind of leap that might seem sudden from the outside, but for Ana, this moment is the culmination of steps so small and strange they barely seemed real. From lecture halls in San Diego to the Palladium stage, the pop newcomer’s path has never followed a straight line.
Before she was Ana Sky, she was a biology student studying embryology, the science of beginnings. She could chart the formation of life in clinical, cellular terms. But it wasn’t until a chance encounter with legendary songwriter Diane Warren that she realized something else had been forming all along. “She saw a video of me singing that I didn’t even know existed,” Ana recalls. “The next day, she hired me to record.” It felt like the ground shifted. Later, one of her professors attended a live show and pulled her aside afterward. “‘You’re not going to be an embryologist,’ she told me. ‘I saw you on that stage. That’s what you’re going to end up doing.’” Ana laughs at the memory, but you can tell it marked her. “It’ll be really fun to see her again when I play San Diego,” she says. “It’ll be a full-circle moment.”
Ana Sky’s music doesn’t just play; it blooms softly in a world, one song at a time. Her voice floats through dreamy, film-like The Virgin Suicides, with a kind of raw, wounded grace. It’s easy to see why fans draw comparisons to Lana Del Rey; there’s that same ache beneath the glamour, the same devotion to mood as much as melody. Both artists turn melancholy into something beautiful. But Ana’s palette pulls from deeper, older roots too. “I’m really inspired by retro artists like Amy Winehouse, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday,” she says. “Those rich tones that resonate in you. Adele is a big one, too. Anyone who sings with that kind of emotional depth.”
Before she was writing songs, Ana wrote poetry. That early foundation still echoes in her lyricism, lush, imagistic, full of emotion but never quite blunt. “The melody comes first,” she says, “but I want the words to capture and inspire.” That balance between atmosphere and vulnerability is something she’s still shaping. “Some songs are more emotionally raw. Some swing the other way. I’m not locked into one genre yet, which is kind of the fun part right now,” she says. “I’m just experimenting and seeing what speaks to me.”
Ana’s background in biology still surfaces in surprising ways. “Science taught me to observe and ask questions. That’s a big part of how I write music too, there’s introspection, but also a curiosity about the world.” She organizes her songwriting ideas meticulously: themes, moods, even vibes cataloged across spreadsheets. “I love spreadsheets,” she says, almost sheepishly. “I make them for fun.” Ana brings the same kind of attention to her live shows, which she describes as immersive and theatrical, full of movement and mood. “I’m a very expressive person,” she says. “We’re working on making the set feel cinematic, with drama, dancing, and interaction. I want people to feel connected.”
At the heart of Ana’s creative evolution is her work with producer AC Burrell, who has helped guide her transition from student to recording artist. Their collaboration is rooted in trust, something Ana doesn’t take lightly. “There are parts of my voice I used to hate,” she admits. “I tried to cover them up, to sound like other people. But AC really helped me embrace the things that make me different. Now, they’re my favorite parts.” Their sessions, she says, have been equal parts creation and self-discovery. “There’s been a lot of healing. He’s family now.”
Desire and the delusion of love. Her latest single, ‘Desire,’ is a dreamy, cheeky confession of romantic self-deception. “It’s about living in my own delusions,” Ana says. “Especially in my love life, I’ll take what someone says and twist it in my mind to mean what I want it to mean.” It’s playful, but not without shadows, a hallmark of her evolving sound. She sees ‘Desire’ as a leap forward from her debut single, ‘Loving You Is Hard,’ and a sign of what’s to come.
“We’ve been writing non-stop since that first song. ‘Desire’ feels like the beginning of a new phase. My sound has already grown so much, even since then.” She’s quick to ground herself when the topic shifts to touring and fame. “It’s a lot,” she says. “Physically, vocally, emotionally. I’ve been pouring every waking second into it.” But she lights up between sky and earth at the thought of playing at the Palladium near home, where her friends and family can finally see what she’s been building. When asked what keeps her rooted, she didn’t hesitate. “My friends. My family. My dog,” she says. Then she pauses and adds, “And my girlfriend. I’d be in a lot of trouble if I didn’t mention her.”
Beyond music, Ana finds peace in books, movement, and solitude. Yoga, pilates, reading, anything that reconnects her with herself. “I do a lot of creative visualization,” she says. “It helps me figure out where I want to go, and how to get there.” Ana Sky doesn’t see her music as individual singles. She sees them as stories, containing worlds, each with its own energy. “I want every song to feel like it’s bringing my poetry to life,” she says. Some are autobiographical. Others are written for films or are based on fiction, but even then, they’re still filtered through her lens.
A track inspired by ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is on the way. And possibly an EP, or more. “We’re working toward something bigger,” she teases. “We’ve been cooking.” She’s also dreaming of future collaborations, musical, visual, and even fashion-related. She does most of her own styling and recently made waves at New York and London Fashion Week. “I’ve been told I come alive in front of the camera,” she says, smiling. “I love playing with visuals; it’s part of the storytelling.”
And ultimately, that’s what she wants: to tell stories that feel honest. “I think vulnerability and kindness are strengths, not weaknesses,” she says. “That’s something I’m really pushing back on in my music.” For Ana Sky, the work is still beginning. But the direction is clear: her songs stretch toward the horizon, and she’s not afraid to follow them.
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Anthony Mclaude, the enigmatic figure known as Rock & Roll’s Best Kept Secret, delves into the world of music journalism with a raw and unapologetic pen. From established icons to up-and-coming talents, Mclaude fearlessly reviews and reveals the diverse sounds that shape our musical landscape.
Raised in a Christian household by a single mother and grandmother in the 1990s, Mclaude’s journey into the world of rock ‘n’ roll began at a young age. The soulful melodies of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, mixed with the pop sensibilities of Madonna and Alanis Morissette, created a soundtrack that would influence his future path.
A pivotal moment came in 7th grade when Mclaude’s storytelling prowess caught the attention of his teacher, Mrs. DeFeo. Her words of encouragement ignited a fire within him, propelling him towards a future in writing. Fast forward fifteen years, and Mclaude found himself studying journalism at Cumberland County College, honing his skills as a reporter for The Voice.
His dedication and passion for community journalism led him to a position at The People’s Press of Millville, where he made his mark with insightful articles and press releases. Collaborations with publications like Eclectic Shades, Rock At Night, and New Noise Magazine further solidified Mclaude’s reputation as a rising star in the world of music journalism.
With each byline, Mclaude continues to push the boundaries of his craft, capturing the essence of artists and their music with a unique perspective that sets him apart in the industry. As Rock & Roll’s Best Kept Secret, his journey is just beginning, with a future as bright and promising as the music he so passionately writes about.