South Shore singer-songwriter Anna Daley Young’s debut album celebrates the journey of self-discovery.
Interview by Maria Allen
It’s been an exciting year for Anna Daley Young, a South Shore singer-songwriter with an electric smile and a smooth voice that combines elements of country, folk and pop. In May, the Weymouth native released her debut album, “Go My Own Way,” and in August she had the chance to perform for a crowd of thousands at the Levitate Music Festival. We chatted with Anna to learn more about her musical journey.
Has music always been a passion for you?
Since the very beginning, music has served as an escape, a source of magic, a creative outlet for my deeply private thoughts and feelings. Born and raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts, I grew up with unlimited access to inspiration from my dad — a fellow musician, who taught me to play guitar when I was 12 years old. instruments were the toys that filled my childhood. It was magical to have the privilege of growing up in such a creatively inclined household where my interest in music was piqued from an early age — and only continued to grow as I did.
What led you to become a singer-songwriter?
Like anything, the involvement of music in my life ebbed and flowed — I participated in musical theater and used to sing with my dad’s band, but music was not my sole focus until about 18-19 years old. After graduating from high school, I decided to pursue a career as a hairstylist. Working at a hair salon gave me the opportunity to pursue a creative career. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I started to see music as more than just a hobby. It was then, in 2020, that I finally made the spontaneous switch to become a full time musician — and I couldn’t be more thankful that I did.
I imagine the pandemic gave you time to focus more on songwriting?
The silence of quarantine and the distance away from the world gave me the time to hone my newfound craft — songwriting. In the isolation and unending alone time, I found myself reaching for my guitar and notebook to express my thoughts. In all of those “lost months” spent inside, I found myself. I discovered that I was an artist, a singer-songwriter, a creator — titles I never saw myself having the privilege to possess. Exiting the pandemic, I was ready and eager to share my songs with the world. At my core, music has always been who I am. But, when the whole world was isolated amid a pandemic, that was the first time I found myself not only turning to music — but creating music — to help understand the world around me.
How does your debut album, “Go My Own Way,” reflect this journey?
It’s interesting to think about the album’s timeline because songwriting and the act of creating is never a linear process. Each song starts with a feeling or a thought that I can’t seem to shake, and it soon develops into a story. From thinking about writing an album and creating the overarching theme of “Go My Own Way,” to writing the music and lyrics to each of the 10 songs, to the polished version ready to be recorded in the studio took almost a year. It’s really interesting to think about who I was at the start of this album to who I am now because I feel like creating and crafting “Go My Own Way,” I was also creating and pursuing a future that I had only dreamed about. As the album grew, I grew as a singer-songwriter — and also as a person.
Is there a theme to the album?
“Go My Own Way” was written to capture that feeling of independence and encourage individuality. It’s funny, I think I wrote “Go My Own Way” because it was a message that I really wanted to hear, and, in a way, it was like this album was my way of encouraging myself to chase my dreams. This album is a love letter to myself, and all those who have found themselves on the path less traveled — take risks, follow your dreams, and go your own way. This album is the manifestation of what’s to come as I continue to follow this incredible path.
The album is filled with different characters, and — on the surface — it seems to consist of other people’s stories. But all of these characters live within me, and — in my opinion — they live within each one of us. Each one of these songs is meant to illustrate universal human experiences.
How do you find inspiration for your songwriting?
The greatest inspiration for songwriting and — more broadly, all of my creative endeavors — is other people’s stories and experiences. Trying to understand those around me will constantly challenge me and serve as a never-ending source of inspiration.
Ever since I can remember, I have seen and interpreted the world through a creative lens. Throughout my childhood, I would look around at a restaurant, an airport, at other cars on the highway and create these little anecdotes about people — transforming them from strangers to characters, each with their own unique story. Before I was lucky enough to call it my career, I created little poems — which now take the form of songs — to understand the world around me. These poems would come to me as little phrases, or I’d start singing a line or two — and these lines would become a song. Benjamin Percy is quoted expressing a similar sentiment: “Writing is an act of empathy. You are occupying and understanding a point of view that might be alien to your own — and work is often the keyhole through which you peer.”
One of the album tracks is called “Fall.” What is the message of this song?
The chords my dad first taught me on the acoustic guitar — D, A, E, G — later blossomed into my first song, “Fall.” The song’s message illustrates another first: one’s first love. Love, as many of us know, is complicated and confusing and magnificent and miserable. It’s all-consuming. When I set out to write this song, I wanted to illustrate the arc of young love and the transformative nature of that relationship. The song starts with “I like this melody, I like this tune / I like the idea of me and you” and ends with the declaration, “I won’t ever fall for you again.” It was a song rooted in the idea that love isn’t always what you hope it to be, and, oftentimes, the reality of love is far messier than the idea that exists in our heads.
Is there a certain track that you are particularly proud of on this album?
The song that comes to mind is Mt. Maiden Street because it was actually the last song I wrote for the album. In a way, I can already see the evolution of my songwriting from the first few chords I wrote to pair with some old poems I had written, to this song, which happened so organically. Sometimes a song comes to you, and that’s what happened with Mt. Maiden Street. I was driving down the street, and the entire chorus just came to me instantly. That night, I finished writing and recorded a rough first version that I sent to my producer the moment I finished it. In a way, I feel like that song was the missing piece to the album, and once I finished it, I knew “Go My Own Way” was done.
You recently performed at the Levitate Festival. What did it feel like to be up on that stage?
Levitate was a dream. Everything about the experience was magical, from the initial call to play the show to seeing the poster with my name on it alongside big-name artists to playing the festival — it truly was a dream come true. But I think the greatest feeling of all was the overwhelming support I felt from my family and friends, fans, and complete strangers. Having people choose to spend their time listening to me perform, looking out in the crowd to see my people clad in my ADY-merch, and the immensity of love and connection through music — it truly was such a special day and such a proud accomplishment of mine.
Where can people catch your performances locally, on the South Shore?
The beauty of this career is getting to perform at different venues and connect with people in all walks of life. I think that’s truly one of the biggest blessings of being a musician is the diversity of experience. That said, I try to mix things up, so the best place to learn about where I’m playing is to follow my Instagram,
@annadaleyyoung. At the beginning of each month,
I will post my schedule of where I’ll be playing, and I’m really fortunate that those gigs can be anywhere from here on the South Shore to Boston to a bit further, like Newport or the Cape and beyond!
To learn more about Anna Daley Young, visit annadaleyyoung.org.