Anita’s Original Music

Anita grew up listening to Pop and Contemporary music but Jazz and Brazilian music have definitely coloured her sound. Anita independently volunteered at an orphanage in Brazil’s capital Brasilia where she met many wonderful children. She said, “I felt at home with them and was saddened to discover that many children felt they did not have a great future compared to other kids who had an English education. I understood more about discrimination in Brazil—and in the world. I had initially offered to help out with activities including teaching English or music but quickly realised, these children have so much to teach me and the world.” With prior learning about oppression in Brazil, this experience added to her dream project, completed in 2015, of 'Songs for Brazil' in hope that these children and the oppressed could one day have their voices heard. Since then Anita’s music has become a little more personal but there is still a recurring theme on treating others well and respectfully, both in personal relationships and in societies.

“I admire -

・the creativity and imagination of Kate Bush

・the musicality of Prince

・the childlike heart and honesty of Björk, and

・the courage and assertiveness of Elis Regina.”

- Anita Levy

the process

It is rare that I sit down and try to come up with a new song idea - to me this is constraining. It can be overwhelming sometimes but ideas come to me constantly throughout the day and even in my dreams! When I want to develop an idea I like to be outside in nature where I sing through and orchestrate the ideas in my head as I walk. Then I will go home and either sit at the piano or on my computer to try and translate those ideas from my mind into my recordings. I like to be alone while I compose as I can be as free as I want. Then I will send it to others to refine.

collaborations

I bring a diversity in my approach to recording, working with a range of classical musicians, arrangers and technicians from Melbourne as well as Spain and Japan.

My teams have included:

- Daniel Mougerman on piano
- Andrie Bacu and Ksenia Belenko on violins
- Martin Welch on viola
- Viatecheslav Lourgaev on cello
- Eugene Bellenko on double bass

Arrangements by Bruno Valenti in Spain
Sound engineering with Nori Shiota in Japan
Production by Andrew Royal
Musicians: Tai Yasuhiro, Yuki Imai, Fabian Aravales, Isaias Elpes

Mixing by Benny Tones
I also thank Steve Vertigan from Soggy Dog Studios for bringing so many of my musical creations to life through his studio in Upwey.

Modelling in japan

Having had steady work in the modelling industry in Japan growing up (me pictured in the very left), I still love to experiment with costumes and dress up as I pair the audio with visual.

storytelling

Ever since I can remember I used to pick up books and translate the stories into song and perform them in front of an imaginary audience. I never really saw myself as a singer but more like a storyteller and performer. This may have influenced my unique story-like progressive song structure rather than the common ‘verse-chorus’ structure.

nature

While I have studied music and I understand theory—I learned the rules in order to break them! I have a more natural approach to songwriting. Many of my melodies have been influenced by the sounds in children’s conversations. If ever I am stuck on a section in a song, often times looking at textures or shapes in nature can help me translate ideas into song.