In Annaka’s own words, “Sometimes life is about risking everything for a dream nobody can see but you.” The Atlanta-based singer/songwriter has lived this mantra firsthand, as her sacrifices have helped her blossom into a world-class artist.
She’s always possessed an angelic voice and stunning looks – that much came standard. However, it wasn’t until Annaka’s foray into electronic music that she truly found herself. After collaborating with such producers as JJ Stevens and Byte Bandit on songs spanning the EDM spectrum, she’s arrived at her own signature fusion of electro pop and future bass in the songs comprising her debut studio album, Penumbra.
Annaka Dulaney was born in Talladega, Alabama. As her father served in the Air Force, she moved around between there, New Mexico and Louisiana from an early age, although she primarily grew up in nearby Lincoln.
She sang in school choirs almost as far back as she can remember, in addition to mall programs and other local functions. A major turning point came when she sang the U.S. National Anthem before a Montgomery Biscuits game at the age of 14. Although not a high-profile gig by any means, it gave her the confidence to pursue singing in a more professional capacity.
Annaka shelved her music career temporarily when she became a mother at 17, but when her son and daughter reached the ages of six and four, respectively, she picked back up where she left off. After investing in a mic and keyboard and then padding the walls of a walk-in closet, she began to record demos of herself singing to send out to producers.
She had become interested in electronic music after attending the first two editions of TomorrowWorld, and fittingly, her debut single was a collaboration with an artist she met at the Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia festival. Los Angeles DJ and producer B-Czech enlisted her as the featured vocalist on his progressive trance anthem “Breakthrough,” which came out in late December of 2015.
From the beginning of 2016 on, Annaka spared no means accelerating her career forward. In January of that year, she wrote a motivational lullaby that served as the top line of Byte Bandit’s melodic trap single “Through It All,” earning herself an artist spotlight on the EDM blog DanceAndRave.com in the process. In the same month, she and JJ Stevens collaborated on “Found You,” a unique stylistic hybrid that served as yet another vehicle for the budding singer-songwriter.
In the summer of 2016, she got signed to Vibe House Records and moved out to Atlanta, Georgia to work on music full time. While working with the producer Darrick Atwater, she honed in more on the electro pop and future bass styles with singles like “I Waited,” “Help Me Understand,” and “I Can See.”
The appeal of Annaka’s music lies in her poignant grasp of both relatable lyrical content and captivating melody. Her songs are her diary, and their topic matter ranges from relationship woes to self discovery – but she carefully selects each chord for its role in telling each song’s greater musical story.
As far as her own story is concerned, Annaka is sure to reach a wider audience than ever following the release of Penumbra. Each chapter of her journey only grows more beautiful by the day.
