By Ica Hontiveros-Cheng
Miles and miles away in Stockholm, Norwegian singer-songwriter, Anna Lotterud, or Anna of the North to those who follow her music, *checks notes* -with over 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, wears her long brown hair down, and sits back relaxed in a hotel room with the vacuum running. She is on a call with local media from the Philippines, as they talk about her upcoming Manila show, which is part of her ‘Crazy’ tour. The name of the tour is ‘Crazy’ and I bet that it is going to be a crazy show which is slated on the 29th of September and will be held at the House Manila in Holiday Inn Express, Pasay City.
I first encountered the music of the 34 year old in Netflix’s 2018 film ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’ in the song ‘Lovers’ I became an instant fan of the catchy and sexy track, immediately adding it to my playlist. And yes, if you were wondering, the song was used for that steamy hot tub scene between Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) and Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor).
In an interview with Variety Anna has said that the song was inspired by a relationship “Even though it ended in a breakup for me, I guess it goes both ways. There’s still a future ahead, life is gonna get better, and I guess that’s what I needed to hear — and other people needed to hear.”
And because things come in threes, Anna’s music was also featured in the film’s sequel ‘To All The Boys PS I Love You’ in the song ‘Dream Girl’ and her song ‘Nobody’ is the opening scene of the 2023 Netflix film ‘XO Kitty’ -still from the ‘To All The Boys Cinematic Universe’ -which now stars Kitty Song Covey, Lana’s younger sister, played by Anna Cathcart.
‘Nobody’ is from Anna of the North’s latest album ‘Crazy Life’ and is the perfect track to open a teen romantic film as it gives off those ‘main character vibes’ from the song you know that Kitty is just ready to conquer the world.
And since we are in the topic of Anna of the North songs in Netflix titles, we might as well mention that her song ‘Playing Games’ from her 2019 album ‘Dream Girl’ is featured in the pilot episode of ‘Never Have I Ever’ -another Netflix series of mine.
Because Anna is often featured in Netflix titles, I asked her, given the chance what other Netflix show would she like her music to be featured? Her answers were: ‘Stranger Things’, ‘Wednesday’ and ‘Sex Education’ and given that she’s a fan of 80’s music, thanks to her father, who is also a musician, and her past success in Netflix titles (her song ‘Lovers’ saw an immediate and significant rise in streams after ‘To All The Boys’ was released) it would not be a surprise if we see another collaboration with the streaming giant soon. Oh and Netflix, in case you’re reading this, she’s also a big fan of ‘The Last Airbender’ – the live action of which will be released by the streaming giant in 2024.
For her Manila show, Anna wants the fans to dance and have fun. “I’m nice. Don’t be scared.” she says laughing, while she combs her long hair back. “I love it when people dance and sing, I hope when we get to have this night together, I hope we have this good energy together and we’ll have a good time.”
Some songs to listen to from her new album ‘Crazy Life’, you know as a nice kind of homework, before seeing her show on the 29th.
‘No Good Without U’ – one of Anna’s favorites, this track is perfect for a club scene, where people are just chilling and having a good time. You’ll definitely get up and start dancing to this one.
A personal favorite of mine is the track ‘Meteorite’ which is a duet with American singer and songwriter Gus Dapperton, whose low tones blends perfectly with Lottund’s playful ones. And the inclusion of playful whistling just adds to the song’s charm.
At this point you’ve most likely already listened to a song or two from Anna of the North. Are you ready to have fun? Because Anna of the North is.
But wait, there’s more. For her show on the 29th, Anna will be joined by two international acts, British Indie Pop/Rock band DENOVA and Norwegian electro-pop act RebMoe. To make things even crazier every purchased ticket now comes with a free drink. You can get your tickets via SM Tickets.