Anadara Interview
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I got to tell you all that I’m starting to feel extremely blessed. When I started this Podcast and the website at www.jtindie.com I never thought that a year later I would Interviewing talented artists and writing CD reviews of some the best music I have ever heard.
Like the review I did for Anadara and her album “A Little Closer” Now the blessing continues as I get to Interview Anadara about her music and her life.
So let’s sit down with Anadara and find out what makes her tick and where her passions for music came from.
[JT] – I guess the first question I have and one that several people on the podcast have asked me, is Anadara your real name?
Yes, Anadara is my real name “Anadara” is a species of a seashell and is the name of the sailboat my parents sailed on their honeymoon. My dad was an avid sailor.
[JT] – How long have you been performing?
In High School I was very involved in musical theater but it wasn’t until college that I started writing songs on performing at local coffee houses. So, I guess I’ve been performing as a singer/songwriter for about 12 years now. Time flies!
[JT] – Why did you decide to enter the Christian Music Scene?
I’ve always written about what is going on in my life and heart and so naturally my faith in God has . My main motivation for performing and creating music is to bring hope and healing to people. The greatest hope and healing I have known in my own life comes from my faith in Jesus Christ, and so
[JT] – How would you describe your sound
I think the term “pop folk” best describes my sound. People are most often saying I remind them of Nichole Nordeman or Joni Mitchell.
[JT] – Who are some of your musical influences?
I LOVE so many artists and style but main influences are probably Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Fernando Ortega, Amy Grant, Dar Williams, Shawn Colvin and Switchfoot.
[JT] – Can you tell me a little about your musical upbringing?
My mother was a professional singer and so I grew up going to hear her sing. She sang a lot of the popular songs of the ‘70s and ’80s. She was also on the worship team at our church and so I was exposed and influenced through the rehearsals we held at our home each week. I started taking piano when I was 4 years old and remember writing some of my first songs when I was about 8 years old. I loved sitting at the piano and making out the worship songs on the chord sheets the team would leave behind. When I was 13 years old I started taking voice lessons and got very involved in choir and Community Theater. My High School was very supportive of the arts which I’m very grateful for.
[JT] – Do you consider what you are doing to be your ministry? What kinds of other things are you currently involved in?
Yes, I do consider it my ministry as I think it is what I have been the best equipped to do in order to make a difference in peoples lives. As I mentioned before, I long to bring hope and healing to people and know that God uses music powerfully to bring those into people’s lives. I also represent Compassion International at a number of my concerts so part of what I do through my music involves informing and encouraging people to become a part of the work that Compassion International is doing to release children from poverty all over the world. www.compassioninternational.com
[JT] – Could you tell me about your spiritual Upbringing?
I was raised attending a non-denominational Christian church that was part of the Calvary Chapel family. My mom and dad divorced when I was six and so I lived with my mom who was a believer. Her twin sister, my aunt, lived with us for a number of years and our faith was a very central part of our daily lives. My mom was on the worship team and I was a part of Pioneer Girls (like Girl Scouts for Christian girls). In other words we were very involved in our church and I was blessed to live in a community that offered a lot of extracurricular activities for young kids. The church we attended eventually split and absorbed into other local churches, but my mom and I never really got plugged back into another church.
A number of things happened that made me disillusioned about being part of a church family and I figured I would just stop going to church or involving myself in things like the “Christian Club” at school. A few years into college, my lack of investing in my relationship with God started to catch up with me. I felt hopeless and confused about the meaning of life. The story has many beautiful details but the long and the short of it is that God brought a number of loving people into my life to gently lead me back into the place of trusting Him and getting back involved in a church community. My memories of His faithfulness to me during those years are a fervent reminder that He is still as present in my life to this day. I’ve learned that instead of turning away with my hands full of resentments, I can give them over to God and then be free to extend and receive love, grace, mercy and peace. It’s much better that way!
[JT] – Your newest CD “A Little Closer” you have a song called “I need a Savior”. This is my favorite song of the CD. I know what this song means to me but could you tell me how this song came about?
There is a saying that church is supposed to be a hospital for sinners and not a showcase for saints. “I need a savior” was inspired out of a conversation with a friend of mine where we were saying that of all places, church should be the place where we feel the most comfortable coming as we are. Unfortunately it’s not always that way because we develop this idea that telling the truth about our brokenness would be a weakness. But then if we look at the bible and what it says about our weakness, we find out that it is good news! 2 Corinthians 12:9 “His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in weakness”. As I thought about that I realized that the church we attend does a beautiful job of being welcoming and embracing this truth in the gospel. I’m very thankful for the full and reverent worship and the authentic people who look each other in the eye and remember to pray for each other. Most of all I am thankful that I can come through the doors every Sunday saying “I Need a Savior” because that is the posture of heart I pray to wake up with every morning. As the song says, “ If I can’t be broken how can I mend?”.
[JT] – Where do you find inspiration for you music?
I’m usually inspired by what is happening in everyday life. If I am going through something or am particularly struck by a certain incident or circumstance I find that writing about it really helps to sort out and express my emotions. Songwriting is a lot like journaling for me.
[JT] – On your website www.anadara.com I noted that you have done your share of touring.
What do you find to be the most rewarding thing about touring?
The most rewarding part to me is talking to people afterward and getting to be a part of their life for a moment. Music has always been one of the things that God uses to speak to me and so when people come up to me after the concert to tell me what has been stirring in their heart, I feel excited and inspired because I know how important that is how much hope and healing it is bringing the their daily experience of life.
What do you find to be the hardest thing about touring?
I really do love being home and being around for all of the little details of everyday life. It is hard for me to miss a friend’s baby shower or an event at church but a lot of people in Nashville are musicians who are on the road a lot, so it is almost a typical way of life here.
[JT] – What do you find most exciting about the writing and recording process?
It’s like an itch that finally gets scratched when you take an idea into the form of a song. Perhaps I love to communicate and God has given me songwriting as my way to do that best. When I can finally “write” something out it is a relief. Then the gift of being able to record it and get it out to people completes the circle and the song can then take on a life of its own and go reach people wherever they may be.
[JT] – What are your plans for the future?
Oh my. I don’t know and have been learning to make plans loosely. I pray that having children will be in my future. I also plan on continuing to write and record music that will bring hope and healing to people’s hearts. It would be a prayer of mine to continue to have places and people to play this music for “live” as “live” music is becoming a lost art in this age of recording. There is something so important about taking in the beauty of music as it being played live. I hope to keep that alive in my life in the years to come, both in performing and listening.
[JT] – What has God been teaching you lately?
God has been teaching me a lot about motivation and what it means to be motivated by the things of God. Without knowing it I can motivate myself to do a lot of things out of my own will, but if I lose my enthusiasm for something it is hard for me to complete the task. So, I’ve been praying about what “His will” is and am learning that “will” can mean “desire” but can also mean “determination”. I long for my desires to be in line with God’s but also my determinations. I think true power comes from when our desires AND our determinations are in line with God’s.
[JT] – Are there any artists, producers, etc. that you would like to work with?
I would love to work with Charlie Peacock because one common denominator among my favorite CD’s is that he produced them 
One of those artists being Jon Foreman of Switchfoot who I would also love to work with somehow someday.
[JT] – Who are some of the artists that you have enjoyed sharing the stage with?
It’s usually at festivals that I share a stage with someone and some of the highlights for me have been Chris Tomiin, Third Day, David Crowder, Paul Baloche and Christy Nockels.
[JT] – Any Last Comments?
Thank you for your encouragement and support in my music! It really means so much to me to know that what I put my hands to as I write and record this music is making a difference and striking a chord in peoples lives and hearts.
[JT] – I also end each interview with some of the questions from James Lipton and the “Inside the Actors Studio so here they are as well.
* What is your favorite word?*
It’s hard to choose a favorite. I want to say “crisp” because I have always been enamored with that word and how it sounds just like its meaning. Ha! But really, “peace” would be a better pick as it seems to be what I savor the most emotionally and physically. It is one of the things I am most thankful for in my faith. Knowing Jesus gives me a peace that I believe I would not know otherwise.
*What sound or noise do you love?*
I love to hear a baby laugh. When they laugh hard it comes from deep in their gut! It’s so joyful and you can’t help but laugh yourself.
*What sound or noise do you hate?*
The sound of my alarm going off in the morning! I am a deep sleeper.
*What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?*
Some kind of physical therapy. I really love working with people and being involved in healing. I’ve realized that is what drives me the most in my music, sharing with people and helping to bring healing.
*What profession would you not like to do? *
Anything involving numbers like accounting or bookkeeping. And you wouldn’t want me to do it either!! .
Well that’s it, I have to tell you all that Anadara has been on my Mp3 player ever since I got the CD and I still find myself playing the album when I find myself needing to re-center myself. Be sure to check out her website at www.anadara.com and pick up her CD “A Little Closer”.
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