BEYOND THE NOTES
Photo courtesy of Jessica DiMento
March 6, 2025 | Hailey Benzvi
For singer-songwriter and producer Annika Bennett, music isn’t just about sound—it’s about storytelling, evolution, and finding a voice that feels true no matter the setting. From the lyric-driven culture of Nashville to the bold experimentalism of Los Angeles, each city she’s lived in has played a crucial role in shaping her artistry. But beyond the studio, her time on the road—opening for major artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Role Model—has refined her live performance, making her a dynamic and adaptable artist.
While Bennett has spent time in New York, she credits Nashville as the city that truly defined her songwriting. Known for its deep-rooted storytelling traditions, Nashville provided her with a strong foundation in lyricism, structure, and self-discovery.
“Nashville has a slower pace of life, and I think being there, I learned a lot about the craft of songwriting,” she says. “I also learned how to really listen to myself and get to know myself as a writer.”
This introspective approach is evident in her music. Whether she’s writing indie-folk ballads or pop-infused melodies, her lyrics remain personal and intentional—something she attributes to the city’s writing culture.
However, if Nashville gave Bennett stability in her writing, Los Angeles challenged her to push beyond it. The city’s fast-paced, genre-fluid music scene forced her to take creative risks, refining her production skills and expanding her sonic palette.
“Being in LA, I feel like it pushes me out of my comfort zone a lot more,” she adds. “Nashville feels more like the foundation of my writing, whereas LA feels like I’m exercising different skills.”
This willingness to explore new sounds is what makes her music so distinct. With influences spanning classic rock, folk, indie, and pop, she seamlessly blends genre styles while keeping her music cohesive and uniquely hers. “A lot of songs can exist in many genres—it’s just about how you dress it up,” she explains.
Still, New York hasn’t influenced her sound as strongly, but it has provided her a space to focus intensely on her craft. She describes her work there as more isolated, free from the influence of a larger scene.
“Whenever I’ve worked in New York, it feels like a vacuum—I’m just working with one person rather than being part of a bigger scene,” she says.
Outside of songwriting, Bennett has found some of her biggest growth moments from performing live. Opening for artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Role Model has expanded her audience and reshaped how she approaches her stage performance.
“When I opened for Sabrina, that was over a year ago. I was still figuring out in-ear monitors and using a more structured track setup in Ableton Live,” she recalls. “That’s how most big shows run—with a click track and cues—but I’ve found that I prefer feeling more free and spontaneous.”
That realization led her to strip things back on the Role Model tour, opting for an entirely acoustic set that changed every night. “I liked that the most,” she reflects. “I love playing new songs live and seeing people react in real-time.”
Though smaller, her headline shows have been just as rewarding—especially when fans from previous opening gigs return to see her perform. “Touring in Europe was amazing, and after the Sabrina tour, a lot of people from those shows came to see my headline dates. That was really special.”
With her album out and a vinyl edition on the way, Bennett is now shifting her focus back to songwriting. “I put out the album, went on the road, and now I finally have a few months off,” she shares. “I just want to take a second to write a bunch of things and see what feels like the path forward.”
Her journey is still unfolding, but one thing is clear—whether she’s drawing from Nashville’s rich songwriting roots, Los Angeles’ innovative production scene, or the energy of a live audience, Annika Bennett continues to evolve while staying true to her voice. And with every new city, tour, and song, she’s just getting started.
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