Anna Calvi on the Influences Behind Her Lush Debut Album -- Video Interview
It took Anna Calvi a long time to summon up the nerve to sing her own songs -- but the wait has certainly been worth it. The 28-year-old Londoner's debut, released earlier this year, has seen her breathlessly compared with PJ Harvey, while her music's lush, brooding atmosphere has also seen comparisons to Antipodean Prince of Darkness Nick Cave -- just check out 'I'll Be Your Man,' the most spine-tingling slice of Gothic blues heard since Cave's 'Red Right Hand.'
Not that all of the softly spoken Calvi's influences are quite so modern. As she tells Spinner, the building blocks of her opulent debut go right back to turn-of-the-century guitarist Django Reinhardt and her vocals owe a debt to the likes of 20th Century icons such as Maria Callas and Edith Piaf. Calvi's currently on tour in the UK after spending several weeks sidelined with an arm injury. Here she tells Spinner how she found the confidence to become a singer -- and how her virtuoso guitar playing helps her create mood. "I like to imagine my guitar is an extension to my voice," she tells us.
