Hi there! I’m Anabel Jamieson and I’m 17 years old- just finishing my final year of school. I went to the Rock Academy’s holiday programmes for years, busked with them, had guitar and piano lessons with them, and even helped tutor the younger students! I come from a very sporty family, filled with All Blacks, elite triathletes, and representative water polo and netball players. None of my family is musical. I am somewhat of an alien to them, so they nicknamed me ‘Bello’ before I was 2, due to my tendency to sing loudly at any opportunity. They’ve had to listen to me singing into a hairbrush since I could walk. I adore all musical genres, have been classically trained and my repertoire ranges from jazz, folk, classical, opera to the pop/ indie original songs I write. However, my undeniable passion is musical theatre. I’ve been in at least one musical theatre production each year for the last 10 years including having the fortune to perform with the NZ Opera and Royal NZ Ballet. Most recently, I played ‘Sandy’ in Hutt City Musical Theatre’s production of ‘Grease’!
My vocal performance has been recognized nationally through first place class awards at the NZ Singing National Aria competition and through selection in the NZ Secondary Students Choir, where I have enjoyed coveted solos as well as opportunities to attend masterclasses with NZ and globally recognized artists.
Geoff Day was my first guitar teacher, and we wrote my first ever song ‘Bed Bugs’ together. I was so excited to get to record the song in a studio, and it was such a great experience to have as an 8-year-old. The Rock Academy was where my love for pop music really started, and through my involvement in the holiday programmes, I was able to meet my current amazing guitar teacher and producer, Jonny Avery while he was working at The Rock Academy. I’ve been so lucky to have the opportunity to release my own original songs on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music and all other online stores. Most recently, I released ‘Girl Who Cried Wolf’, which is probably the one I am most proud of. Written out of frustration, I wrote ‘Girl Who Cried Wolf’ disgusted at the level of insidious violence against women. The song is partly in response to recent high-profile assaults, but also because of the massive outpouring of women who have voiced their own terrifying experiences with abuse. Women have been talking about their negative experiences forever, but it’s only now that these behaviours are being called out for what they are.
I am so grateful that my parents got me into the Rock Academy, as my love for music has really blossomed since then.
Thanks,
Annie J :)
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anniejmusic_/
https://www.instagram.com/anabeljamiesonn/
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/5gotoqXlk1m8QyrTBrd8iw
