Fiery redhead Anna Haas excites the senses instantly with a powerhouse voice and arrestingly honest lyrics, enhancing each line with wildly dramatic stage antics and heavy, soulful piano playing.
A passionate risk-taker, Haas perpetually explores new ways to use the stage to make each show original and captivating, whether by incorporating subtle dance or fearlessly entering the audience. Staggering the thick line of influence of Lady Gaga and Patty Griffin, Haas is careful to keep the focus on the music, using her on-stage antics as an illustrative complement to the songs.
“I love to entertain, and constantly hunger for the opportunity. But, I care most about writing the truth, and creating a pure and honest reflection of what it means to be human from my personal experiences and observations,” says Haas.
Haas grew up in Nashville, writing music regularly and frequenting shows. When she took off to Boston to study acting and dance at Emerson College, she found herself singing in blues clubs, choreographing modern dance, creating installation art, and performing lead roles in musicals such as “Chicago” and “A Chorus Line.”
Following college, Haas danced her way to New York City, drenching herself in the city’s culture Fiery redhead Anna Haas excites the senses instantly with a powerhouse voice and arrestingly honest lyrics, enhancing each line with wildly dramatic stage antics and heavy, soulful piano playing.
“I’m in love with both New York and Nashville. The culture of each is a distinct part of me. I don’t want to choose. I want to continue to be inspired by both. Those two cities are my home,” says Haas.
Haas’ debut album Crazy Is is a timeless yet modern tapestry of stories and musings blending lyrical sarcasm, intelligent metaphor and absolute vulnerability. The songs shift in subject matter from a secret affair and tragic loss to the use of an illegal substance and the imagined loneliness of Marilyn Monroe.
Crazy Is is a thrilling mix of the cities and artists that inspire Haas, and her signature, expressive voice is the crux that a legion of instrumentation swarms around: heavy, soulful piano, ripping guitar solos, ambient synthesizers, bluesy pedal steel, funky horns, and a symphony of strings. Supported primarily by fans through fundraising website Kickstarter.com, Crazy Is took Haas nearly two years to prepare, record and package. The album was recorded in multiple studios throughout Nashville and New York to create the best sounds for each instrument, using more than 27 of some of the most renowned and Grammy award-winning musicians, who each, stylistically, bring elements of their respective genres to the record, resulting in a wildly original musical creation.
Expect to hear the influences of music’s most distinct artists and Haas’ favorite muses in Crazy Is, from the soulful vocal reflections of Janis Joplin and Adele and the lyrical wit and catchy piano of Regina Spektor to the angst of Fiona Apple and the passionate, climactic songwriting of Jeff Buckley and Florence Welch.
Haas is a true triple threat, unleashing every aspect of her fire to the public for the very first time to create an explosive experience that is wild, organic and absolutely honest.