The full story

AnnaLina is Norway-born, Sydney-raised and London-based, having made the move to London in 2025. She has wanted to be a singer since she was a child, and singing came as naturally as talking. There is endless camcorder footage of her and her older sister starring in living room performances, and her sister remains a big inspiration. Learning to harmonise together led to an appreciation for what AnnaLina describes as a “tapestry of really tight-knit, solid harmonies from a backing vocal section”.

Raised on old Soul and Motown artists like Etta James, Otis Redding and Al Green, she made her debut in late 2020 with the single “It’s Seasonal”. Her first singles were played on triple j, and she quickly became one to watch in the Sydney music scene. That early era came with a tagline, “sceptical romantic”: a unique perspective on love and relationships from someone who could never quite make sense of them. In ‘Know This’, she wrote about her last relationship from her partner’s perspective, and ‘One Before The One’ was co-written with Oscar Sharah (Mel Blue) and Pat Byrne (Beso Palma).

Alongside her own music, AnnaLina has worked as a session singer for artists including Lola Scott, Runaway Mornings and Jimmy Osborn. Adding backing vocals is her favourite part of any session, and it is a habit she has carried into her own songs, which are full of layered harmonies.

After a break from releasing (her last release was in 2022), AnnaLina has been writing and working on her debut EP, Don’t Be Sorry, Be Better, with producer Jared Higgs (Purple Drapes). It is fun and playful, blending old-school and modern production with hints of RnB against a pop backdrop, and the EP includes collaborations with Jimmy Osborn and Purple Drapes. Remi Wolf and Jessie Reyez are among her current inspirations.

The songs usually start as a seed of an idea that AnnaLina takes to Jared, and they build them together. One track began as a challenge to force in certain words, including “blockbuster” and “Evander Holyfield”. A headline show is in the works ahead of the EP’s release. Whatever the song, the aim is the same: to make listeners feel seen, and a little lighter.