Meet Anson Seabra, the US musician finding his moment with his latest song, Magazines

With a string of singles over the last year, the musician has quickly become a face of the next generation.

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Header image by Kelby Reck.

We're often harping on about the future of music here, and there's more than plenty of it to go around. At the moment, it seems that a new exciting face emerges from the woodwork on a near-weekly basis, coming from the outer corners of the world with sounds spread between genres; the shared connection between all of these acts being their talent, and how they're showing that to the rest of the world.

Anson Seabra is one of those faces of tomorrow, and over the last 12 months, he's consistently proved why he's deserving of his place. From the US mid-west, Anson made an initial entrance back in 2018 with a strong of hazy, kind-of lo-fi pop songs including Welcome To Wonderland, which would eventually become a breakthrough moment as the musician blew up on social media in the depths of last year. Since then, however, he's been unstoppable; single after single furthering his sound, and growing a bigger audience as he goes.

His work this year, however, has been a real step up. After the mammoth Walked Through Hell single at the tail-end of last year, he made an entrance into 2021 with the release of It's Raining, It's Pouring back in March, and now, is making it two from two with his latest single Magazines, which arrived a few weeks ago now. Magazines is a song we've kept coming back to over the last few weeks, with a stirring instrumental sitting in the background of Anson's vocal, which this time around, well and truly sit in the spotlight.

"Magazines is a song about living in a world where everything seems perfect on the outside, but behind the scenes is much different," he says on the single, using the metaphor of magazine covers to explain what he means. "It’s something I’ve felt for a long time now, especially working in entertainment. There’s this facade of perfection that we’re bombarded with since the day come into being: magazines, movies, commercials, whatever. So Magazines is about confronting that, and realizing that not everything that glitters is gold."

It's a brilliant single that continues somewhat of a trend for Anson Seabra, who with everything he releases at the moment, seems to grow and evolve both musically and personally; his work reflecting on himself and the world around him, and translating these reflections into starry bursts of pop music. Magazines is well and truly a part of that puzzle, and you can take a dive into the song below, as well as a chance to introduce yourself to Anson Seabra, who is definitely an artist to watch on an international scale.

Tell us about yourself?

Hi, I’m Anson. I like long walks on the beach and pop music. And meditating. I actually spend way too much time meditating. I’m a computer science major turned singer/songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. When I’m not cooking up scorching hot tracks, I like studying nutrition or spirituality.

What’s your music like? What does it sound like? What kind of themes does it usually cover?

I like to tell people I make “emotive pop music.” Sort of like Dear Even Hansen meets Lauv. My primary instrument is the piano, so a lot of my tracks have strong piano undercurrents with a focus on soaring, intimate melodies. I write about life, love, heartbreak and growing up. Just being human, really. Whatever comes to me.

What are your production and writing processes usually like?

It really depends. Sometimes I start with a concept and nothing else, sometimes I start at the piano with a melody, sometimes I have a really bad day and I just open up my voice notes and hum a little something. Just whatever feels right in the moment. I actually got into music to be a producer, so when I was just starting out I made a bunch of remixes, but those skills ended up translating when I needed to start making my own tracks. These days I haven’t been producing too much, but I do produce my vocals from time to time and I’ll touch up production here and there when needed.

Can you tell us a bit about this new single, Magazines?

Magazines is a song about living in a world where everything seems perfect on the outside, but behind the scenes is much different. It’s something I’ve felt for a long time now, especially working in entertainment. There’s this facade of perfection that we’re bombarded with since the day come into being: magazines, movies, commercials, whatever. So Magazines is about confronting that, and realizing that not everything that glitters is gold.

What do you have planned for 2021?

World domination. Haha. Kidding. Sort of.

I’m putting out an EP full of songs I’m really proud of, I can’t wait for the fans to hear it. Other than that, just continuing to hone my craft and trying to write better and better songs. The more I get exposed to other artists and writers the more I want to be the best I possibly can. Recently it feels like I’ve really fallen in love with the craft of songwriting. So 2021 is a lot about honing in on taking my writing to the next level.

What do you want people to take away from your work?

I want people to feel seen when they hear my music. I want it to take them somewhere that feels safe, like an escape. That’s what I feel when I listen to my favourite songs, so if I can do that for someone else, then my I’m doing my job.

Where can we find more of your music?

All streaming platforms! Spotify, Apple, Amazon, SoundCloud, Tidal, Pandora, wherever you listen! I post new ideas on Instagram and Tik Tok sometimes too so make sure to check those out too.