Anna Christine Nalick(/ˈnælɪk/NAL-ik;[3]born March 30, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter. Her debut album,Wreck of the Day,featuring her first radio hit, "Breathe (2 AM)",was released on April 19, 2005. Nalick left her label under Sony in 2009 after a falling-out surrounding the release of her second album. Nalick's second album,Broken Doll & Odds & Ends,was released on June 5, 2011. On October 19, 2017, Nalick released her third full-length album,At Now.Nalick's fourth album,The Blackest Crow,was released December 6, 2019.[4]
Anna Nalick | |
|---|---|
 Nalick in January 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Anna Christine Nalick |
| Born | March 30, 1984[1] Temple City, California,U.S.[2] |
| Origin | Glendora, California,U.S. |
| Genres | Pop rock |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | Official website |
Early life
editNalick was born and raised inTemple City, California,and attended Holy Angels Grammar School inArcadiabefore moving toGlendorawith her parents at age 14.[2]Nalick's Jewish paternal grandfather and his family came fromKyiv,then part of theRussian Empire,emigrating to the United States to escape the ongoing anti-Semiticpogroms.[5][6]
A key memory of her childhood is thefifth grademath class where she would stop paying attention to the teacher, and instead rewrite the lyrics to aCranberriessong.[7]She grew up in a family where two of the grandparents had performed on Broadway, and where her parents exposed her to a number of different artists, includingElvis PresleyandLed Zeppelin.Nalick says she draws more inspiration from poetry, literature, psychology, human behavior, and history than anything else. Her musical influences range from ragtime to folk to trip-hop and everything in between.
In another interview, Nalick recalls showing off her talents to her third grade teacher, who then remarked that she'd end up "one day onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno."Nalick did perform in 2005 onThe Tonight Show,making sure to invite the teacher to the audience.[8]
Nalick initially decided to go to college before pursuing her dream of music, continuing to record her songs on a Rainbow Brite cassette recorder.[7]But she soon met a photography[7]professor, who had a student with parents in the music business. Nalick agreed to pass along a low-fidelity six-songdemo tape,and soon enough, was introduced to Christopher Thorn and Brad Smith, the founding members ofBlind Melonnow turned production team, as well asEric Rosse,best known for his production work forTori Amos.In October 2003, putting her college plans on hold, she signed on withColumbia Records.Nalick went into the studio with Thorn, Smith, and Rosse as producers, together with mix-engineerMark Endert(Fiona Apple,Maroon 5,andGavin DeGraw). She recorded with a group of musicians that included Smith on bass, Thorn on guitar, Rosse andZak Raeon keyboards,Lyle Workmanand Stuart Mathis on guitar, andJoey WaronkerandMatt Chamberlainon drums. The result was her albumWreck of the Day,released two years later.[7]
Career
edit2004–2006:Wreck of the Day
editNalick's first single from herWreck of the Dayalbum was "Breathe (2 AM)",which peaked at No. 45 U.S. and went 3× Platinum on theBillboardHot 100,and went huge on Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40. It was heavily played onAAAandHot ACstations across the U.S., along with light airplay onPopstations, and Nalick became one of 2005's biggest newcomers. Her video for the track got very heavy airplay onVH1and someMTVairplay as well. At the time of the writing[when?],Wreck of the Dayhas sold over 615,000 copies with agold certificationfrom theRIAA,and a No. 20 peak on theBillboard200.In New Zealand,Wreck of the Dayreached the Top 15 albums on the Top 40 Albums Chart.[citation needed]
In November 2005, Nalick released "In the Rough".[9]The single was moderately successful, charting on the BillboardHot Adult Top 40 Tracksat No. 15. Her album sales only slightly increased after the release of "In the Rough", perhaps because the previous single had been released almost a full year before.
Her lead single fromWreck of the Day,"Breathe (2 AM)", experienced a resurgence on worldwide charts following a highly prominent appearance in aGrey's Anatomyepisode (As We Know It), aired February 12, 2006. Other episodes of the show have featured the acoustic songs "Catalyst" and "Wreck of the Day" from the same album. The title track has also been featured on the showOne Tree Hill.
In 2006, the album was re-released with three new songs and re-recording of the title track. With little promotion, the song only managed to chart on theAdult Top 40spending two weeks at number 39 and one week at number 40 before falling off the chart.[10]
In a September 2006Qmagazine interview,Britney Spearssaid she wished she had written Nalick's "Breathe (2 AM)". Two months later, Nalick took honors as "AC Female Artist of the Year" at theNew Music Awards,beating outSheryl Crow.According to her official website, Nalick was so convinced that Crow would win the award that she kicked back and relaxed, removing her shoes. When her name was called, she ran to the stage shoeless to make sure that she was able to have enough time for her acceptance speech.
A clip from the single, "Satellite" fromWreck of the Dayis often played on theSatellite Sistersradio show.Wreck of the Daywas also featured duringSeason 2, Episode 20of the television showJoan of Arcadia.
2007–2009: Separation from Sony
edit
On May 11, 2007, the first indication of Nalick writing her second album appeared on her website. Few updates were given after that.[11]The only other song to be released during this "era" was a cover of the song "Band of Gold" on theDesperate Housewivescompilation CD.
On January 28, 2008, Nalick premiered her first single off the new EP,Shine,on AOL music's page.[12]The EP "Shine" was released March 25, 2008.[13]It featured the title single, a cover ofRed Hot Chili Peppers'ssong "Breaking the Girl",and acoustic renditions of Nalick's best-known tracks.
On July 12, 2008, it was reported thatBroken Dollwas to be the title of Nalick's second album. The album was originally scheduled for release in the summer of 2008; however, a falling-out with Epic Records resulted in the album being scrapped. Little was heard from Nalick until the summer of 2010.
2010–2018: Independent artist
editIn August 2010, Nalick made a comeback announcement on her Facebook profile, accompanied by new photographs revealing a bold new look; it was revealed that she had left Sony in 2009 to be a free agent. At the time, she was making a record with producerNathan Chapman(Taylor Swift, Jewel), with an expected release date in 2011. On August 25, 2010, Nalick premiered a new song, "The Lullaby Singer", on her official website.[14]Nalick held five live performances—Hotel CaféinHollywood,California, for August 31, September 21, September 28, and October 5, 2010, and 3rd & Lindsley inNashville, Tennessee,for September 9, 2010[15]—to accompany the comeback announcement.
On March 2, 2011, Nalick announced on her Facebook page the official name for the first upcoming album:Broken Doll & Odds & Ends,a little variation from the one she announced before. It had been set for release in May 2011, but several unforeseen difficulties resulted in delays.Broken Doll & Odds & Endswas released on iTunes on June 5, 2011, with physical CD release available from her website, and sold at shows.
Nalick performed onGood Day Sacramento,singing "Walk Away" in honor of the people who died in theSeptember 11 attacks.
In 2011 Nalick began studying acting and creative writing at UCLA. She attempted co-writing for other artists in 2012, an experience she has stated gave her "devil horns and PTSD". She has been touring since 2013. In between she has been writing and arranging new material. She began producing a new album in 2014 and is looking for a record label to help publish it, although she is also considering an independent release.[16]
In October 2015, Nalick started to solicit contributions on PledgeMusic to release her new album.[17]On October 18, 2017, Nalick released her third full-length albumAt Nowto her PledgeMusic supporters as an early release. The official release date for this album was October 19, 2017, the same day she began a two-week tour to promote her new album. During 2018, Nalick collaborated withJustin Levinsonon a new single titled "A Part of Me".[18]
2019–present:The Blackest Crow
editIn 2019, Nalick signed withChesky Records,and releasedThe Blackest Crowon December 6.[19]The album is a collection of covers spanning works from the 1940s to the 1990s, recorded in a single day in a decommissioned church inBrooklyn,New York.[20]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [21] |
NZ [22] | |||
| Wreck of the Day |
|
20 | 14 | |
| Broken Doll & Odds & Ends |
|
— | — | |
| At Now[17] |
|
— | — | |
| The Blackest Crow[25][26] |
|
— | — | |
EPs
edit| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Shine |
|
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [27] |
US Pop [27] |
US AC [27] |
US Adult Pop [27] |
AUS [28] |
NZ [29] | |||
| 2004 | "Breathe (2 AM)" | 45 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 79 | 37 | Wreck of the Day |
| 2005 | "In the Rough" | — | — | — | 15 | — | — | |
| 2006 | "Wreck of the Day" | — | — | — | 39 | — | — | |
| 2008 | "Shine" | — | — | — | 30 | — | — | Shine |
| 2017 | "Till the End of the Year (Bye Buy By)"[30][31][non-primary source needed] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| 2015 | "Aura"[32] | — | — | — | — | — | — | At Now |
| 2017 | "At Now" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Teen Choice Awards | Herself | Choice Music: Breakout Artist - Female | Nominated |
| New Music Awards | AC Female Artist of the Year | Won | ||
| 2007 | ASCAP Pop Music Awards | "Breathe (2 AM)" | Most Performed Song | Won |
| Groovevolt Music and Fashion Awards | Best Pop Song Performance - Female | Nominated |
References
edit- ^Jeffries, David."Anna Nalick biography".AllMusic.RetrievedJuly 20,2011.
- ^ab"Temple City Life February 2013"(PDF).p. 10. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 26, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 26,2013.
- ^"anna nalick - tigerjam interview (part 1)".YouTube.January 20, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on December 12, 2021.RetrievedMay 16,2020.
- ^"Anna Nalick".February 19, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
- ^"Anna Nalick on Instagram:" My great grandfather, Henry (Herschel) Nalick, born 1867, hailed from Kiev, Ukraine (Russia at the time). He learned jewelry making from… "".Instagram.com.Archived fromthe originalon December 24, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 11,2020.
- ^"Anna Nalick on Instagram:" My grandfather, Lester Nalick was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1900 and immigrated to the United States in 1906. He and his mother and five… "".Instagram.com.Archived fromthe originalon December 24, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 11,2020.
- ^abcd"Hip Online – Anna Nalick Biography".February 20, 2008.RetrievedOctober 6,2010.
- ^"For Your Entertainment: Anna Nalick Interview Part II".Archived fromthe originalon August 29, 2009.RetrievedOctober 6,2010.
- ^"Adult Top 40 Billboard Chart Archive".Billboard.November 12, 2005.RetrievedJune 23,2013.
- ^"Billboard Music Charts - Latest Music News - Music Videos".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon June 17, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 13,2008.
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon February 19, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 13,2008.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Anna Nalick, 'Shine' – Song Premiere – PopEater Music Blog".Archived fromthe originalon January 31, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 28,2008.
- ^"BlogCritics Music".RetrievedJanuary 25,2011.
- ^"AnnaNalick.com".Archivedfrom the original on October 8, 2010.RetrievedOctober 8,2010.
- ^"Tour".Archivedfrom the original on October 5, 2010.RetrievedOctober 6,2010.
- ^Conway, Tom (November 13, 2014)."Nalick has learned to 'Breathe' as independent".In the Bend.RetrievedAugust 2,2016.
- ^ab"Anna Nalick: New Album on PledgeMusic".Archived fromthe originalon February 29, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 25,2016.
- ^"Premiere: Walk The Rainy Day Streets with Justin Levinson to his Jazzy" A Part Of Me "(Ft. Anna Nalick)".Atwood Magazine.October 16, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 6,2019.
- ^Ninneman, Scott (December 4, 2019)."Review: The Blackest Crow by Anna Nalick".Medium.RetrievedFebruary 26,2020.
- ^"Anna Nalick Returns to Form with Triumphant New Album" The Blackest Crow "".Elicit Magazine.October 15, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 26,2020.
- ^"Billboard chart positions > albums".AllMusic.RetrievedOctober 12,2010.
- ^"New Zealand charts portal – Anna Nalick".Charts.nz.RetrievedOctober 12,2010.
- ^"Search results –" Wreck of the Day "".Recording Industry Association of America.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^"Anna Nalick - At Now".Amazon.com.RetrievedApril 22,2021.
- ^"Anna Nalick Announces New Album The Blackest Crow".Broadway World.October 14, 2019.RetrievedNovember 23,2019.
- ^"The Blackest Brow by Anna Nalick".Annanaklick.bandcamp.com.RetrievedNovember 23,2019.
- ^abcd"Billboard chart positions > singles".AllMusic.RetrievedOctober 12,2010.
- ^Ryan, Gavin (2011).Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010(PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 199.
- ^"New Zealand chart portal – Anna Nalick (singles)".Charts.nz.RetrievedOctober 12,2010.
- ^[1][dead link]
- ^"Anna Nalick".Facebook.com.RetrievedMay 27,2019.
- ^"Anna Nalick Opens Up About Her Creative Process".PledgeMusic.RetrievedFebruary 25,2016.