Meet Anna Arden, an artist whose story begins with a childhood filled with music. With her rare contralto voice, she doesn't just perform songs — she creates, writes, films and edits, crafting entire worlds out of sound and images. From the main concert halls of Ukraine to stages in Austria, France, and London, her journey inspires and proves that talent multiplied by perseverance can win hearts around the world. In this interview, Anna candidly talks about her unique voice, the influence of her favourite artists, writing her first song at the age of 10, and how her childhood dreams of cinema and theatre intertwined with the big stage.
Your journey in music began very early, with the Ukrainian Radio Children's Choir. How did this experience shape you as an artist?
Actually, even earlier than that. At the age of five, I was enrolled in a music school to study piano, although I don’t remember when I started singing. My mother said that I even sang in my sleep.
At the age of 12, I was accepted into the Great Children’s Choir of the National Radio Company of Ukraine, where I immediately joined the concert ensemble and later became a soloist. I am very grateful to the artistic directors and conductors of this choir for their support, knowledge and invaluable contribution to children’s hearts. This experience shaped me as an artist and instilled resilience in different situations on stage. We performed at the country’s main concert venues, took part in television concerts and music programmes, recorded songs for the Ukrainian Radio’s golden fund, and toured France and Ukraine.
I never had the slightest doubt about who I wanted to be. So I went to study music at the Institute of Arts and completed a master’s degree in vocal performance.
You have a rare voice — contralto. Tell us how you realised the uniqueness of your voice and how it influenced your choice of style.
My leaders at the children’s radio choir helped me discover the uniqueness of my voice. It was there that I realised the full range of my low timbre. Also, since childhood, I have loved listening to rock bands with male vocals, such as Okean Elzy. It has always been much easier for me to sing songs that match my range. As a child, my role model among female low voices was Raisa Kirichenko. I loved listening to her song Kozachka on national radio and enjoyed singing along with her.
You wrote your first song at the age of 10. What inspired you? How does it feel to hear your song on Ukrainian National Radio years later?
I loved watching heroic TV series and cartoons. It was under the influence of one of them that I came up with my song ‘Zoryani Voin’ (Star Warriors). All my friends sang this song when we were playing in the yard. Fifteen years later, I thought: why not? Why shouldn’t I rework my childhood song and release it to the world? Especially when I saw the feedback it was getting.
Unfortunately, a lot has changed in the world since we grew up, and this song is no longer just about fictional heroes and the general concept of heroism, but also about our defenders, warriors, heroes — as one big image of the entire Ukrainian people, who will not give up and will not break under the influence of the Dark Forces coming into our world.
My first radio premiere took place in 2016. It felt as if the world had stopped for a second when I found myself in the studio of Ukraine’s National Radio and my first song was played on air. Perhaps this is the most important thing any songwriter and performer wants — for the world to hear their music.
Not only do you sing, but you also shoot and edit music videos and create fantasy videos. Which is more important to you: music or visuals? And how do you combine these two aspects?
With the release of my first song, ‘Містичне Кохання’ (Mystical Love), I started my YouTube channel, for which my friends and I filmed various fantasy videos, regular vlogs, and videos for my music videos. I learned how to edit videos myself and always do all the editing on my own.
Perhaps my love of films and cinema played a role here, because I always wanted to make any video — whether it was fantasy or a music video — a beautiful picture. I am a maximalist by nature. Once, someone even said to me, ‘We’re not in Hollywood, you don’t have to try so hard.’ But I can’t help myself. I want to create this ‘Hollywood,’ and I won’t settle for anything less.
Of course, as a musician, music is probably more important to me, but as an aesthete, without a beautiful ‘palette,’ this ‘picture’ won’t shine in all its colours.
The song ‘Містичне Кохання’ was your first original work. Tell us more about it: what is it about, how was it created, and what place does it hold in your heart now?
It is worth mentioning that ‘Містичне Кохання’ is my first serious work, which was created during a period of heartbreak. However, it is not about pain, but rather about feelings that, unfortunately, could not be preserved, but which I have immortalised in my memory and in a story with a happy ending — just as I would have liked it to be in real life. Since I love to fantasise before going to sleep, I think through whole scenarios from life: what if… That’s why my love songs live in a parallel world, where everything is the opposite and there are happy endings.
Your music is pop rock. Which Ukrainian and international artists or bands have had the greatest influence on your work?
It’s impossible to list them all, but perhaps the Ukrainian band NeAngely had the greatest influence on me, because Vika and Slava’s voices are similar to mine. It’s always nice to find something similar to yourself in other artists. The lyrical rock ballads of the band Scorpions also had a major impact on my music.
You have performed at many venues, from the main stages of Ukraine to concerts in Austria, France and London. Which performance do you remember most and why?
It’s hard to say. Each of them is memorable in its own special way. For example, in Austria, I listened with particular awe as my voice echoed through the cathedral where Haydn himself worked when I performed solo at a Catholic mass. It was a special honour for me to perform in such a historic place. When I sang as part of an Austrian choir in the musical show ‘Musicalstars in Steinbruch’ in front of an audience of thousands on a stage in an open-air quarry and heard the artists say ‘toi-toi-toi’ to each other for the first time — something like our ‘break a leg’.
In France, I was struck by how much people enjoyed listening to Ukrainian songs when I performed there with my children’s choir at the age of 15, whether in Paris, Nantes or the small town of Saint-Luz-sur-Loire.
Well, London has always been my dream city. And it was magical when I first arrived in this city in 2023 — and immediately went on stage at the Marilebon Theatre to take part in the Golden Time Talent festival and competition. As they say, ‘from the ship to the ball.’
You are a winner and prize-winner of international competitions. How important are such achievements to you and how do they motivate you to move forward?
It is important for every artist to have their talent recognised, whether it be through the love of fans or the appreciation of judges at international competitions. Talent and stage presence do not necessarily equate to success and recognition. The response of the audience for whom the artist performs is also important. After all, every artist dreams that sooner or later they will find their listener, reader, connoisseur, and not sink into oblivion, dissolving into the silence of the universe.
This is what drives me, as it does many others: the search for kindred spirits, in whose hearts my songs will resonate.
How do performances abroad help you bring Ukrainian culture and music to a global audience?
Through my songs, I introduce the whole world to our culture — a wonderful new world for people who may not have known anything about Ukraine before. They are interested in everything new, they are drawn to it with curiosity, having no idea that we have a whole range of different genres in music that are on a par with global standards in terms of their level and quality. It is this process that gives me a deep sense of satisfaction and happiness, because I am an ambassador for contemporary Ukrainian music.
In addition to singing, you are actively involved in theatre projects and have worked in an opera choir. How does your acting experience help you in your musical career?
I adore acting, actually. Since childhood, it has been easy for me to transform myself into a particular role, because performing a musical piece is not only about good vocals or good instrumental playing, but also about conveying an artistic image to the audience.
Working in an opera choir not only helped me develop my singing, but also my acting skills, thanks to being part of the staging and drama of different operas.
Also, when I worked as a concert organiser for children, because of my love for French musicals such as Notre Dame de Paris, Romeo and Juliet, Rock Opera Mozart and others, I staged these musicals with children, acting not only as a vocal coach, but also as a director, set designer, and, thanks to my passion for writing, as a scriptwriter. I myself played small roles and sang in these musicals.
Therefore, it is not at all difficult for me to think through my own concert number, my costume for the performance, my image and the dramaturgy.
Your passion for fantasy, poetry and prose, as well as creating images. How do these hobbies intertwine with your musical and stage activities?
Do you have a dream performance or a stage where you would like to perform?
