From a young age, North Bay native Anna Dellaria used music as a built-in mode of self-expression. The keyboardist, vocalist and singer-songwriter remembers dragging family members into the living room to perform make-shift concerts and teaching herself music in middle school.
“I went through a lot of weird phases as a kid in middle school, trying to make friends and such, as I’m sure many people go through,” says Dellaria. “The thing that kept my head on straight was writing songs. It allowed me to work through what I was feeling and grapple with these larger issues of what it means to grow up.”
Now based in Los Angeles, Dellaria is a pop star in the making. She graduated from the prestigious and highly competitive USC Popular Music Program in 2017, and through it, she caught the attention of early supporters and industry icons like producer and executive Lenny Waronker and others.
These days, the 24-year-old is ramping up her music career with a steady performing schedule in L.A. and elsewhere, as well as gigs writing music for television programs such as TV Land’s Younger and Paramount Network’s Heathers.
“That’s been an awesome opportunity in a way that I’ve been focusing in on utilizing music not only to express myself but to tie in with film and TV in creating a story,” she says.
Regarding her own work, Dellaria has a debut EP in the works, and is hyping the EP with a series of singles being released throughout this year.
“Coming up in 2020 will be a series of singles that I think are my most cohesive work that I’m most excited about,” she says.
Dellaria’s first single on the way this year is the heart-wrenching “Sorry Doesn’t Work,” which lyrically tells the story of a broken relationship with mournful guitars and Dellaria’s soulful vocals reaching a pitch-perfect state of sadness. Spotify and Apple Music will release the single on Feb. 7.
In addition to performing, Dellaria is also passionate about using her music for good causes, and she possesses a philanthropic streak, donating her talents to organizations like Girls Inc.
“A lot of my songs are centered around the idea of self-empowerment, even through challenging times,” Dellaria says. “As someone who grew up struggling with anxiety and depression without having the tools to describe it yet, I feel strongly about telling people that are also struggling with these emotions that those struggles don’t define your worth, but rather make you stronger because you’re able to battle through them.”
Anna Dellaria’s single ‘Sorry Doesn’t Work’ is available Feb. 7 at Annadellaria.com.
