Terri-Anne has been making waves since her debut back in 2016 with hit releases on Stashed, Vivifier Records, and Force of Habits. This 68th release on Distortion sees Terri-Anne bring her trademark tech bass-infused sound to the label with a twist of feel-good summer energy. We caught up with Terri-Anne to find out more about the release and find out more about the precocious talent behind the music!
Hey Terri-Anne, thanks for taking the time to join us, and congratulations on the release. What a great feel-good record just in time for summer. Was this the plan, to create a summer anthem?
Thank you! Yeah, it definitely has that summer vibe for sure. We actually wrote this song in Summer 2020, when life was pretty miserable, with zero clubs and full-on lockdown restrictions. I had written this uplifting piano and bassline track, but I knew it needed a vocalist! That’s where Faye (Medusa) came in and wrote these catchy lyrics! I think the lyrics really captured how we were feeling at the time about trying to look forward and keep going, which I think makes the track more special.
How did the release with Distortion come about?
I’m a big fan of the label and have been DJing out their tracks for years, so when Medusa made the suggestion to send it over to them I jumped at the idea. We actually sat on the track for a good 7-8 months, firstly because it was a summer track and we always intended it to come out in summer 2021, and we were waiting for the right label! Distortion was just a great fit, and the remix on the EP from Claudia is so so good.
What inspired you to create this record?
It was probably looking at the sun, and not being able to enjoy it properly like a normal summer! I was in the studio a lot last year, after dropping down to four days a week in my recruitment management job and I was making music to make myself feel good! I spoke with Medusa about the lyrics and really wanted something that wasn’t cheesy, and reflected the time we were in – she really delivered.
It seems you and Medusa worked well together on this project, how did you two find working together, and what was the process?
I loved it actually! It was my first time working with a live vocalist on a track, and she’s such a professional! Once I have an idea, I’m quite impatient and like to get it going and done quickly, and Medusa has that same mentality with her ideas. We bounced some ideas around with the lyrics, as I wasn’t keen on having anything about love or cheesy (clearly just fully done with the pandemic!), and then she came up with the ones in the track! Perfectly suited!
How have you coped during the last 12-months as an artist? Do you have any tips for aspiring artists to cope with these challenging times?
Oh Christ, not 100% sure to be honest. It’s been really tough for everyone in the music industry, both mentally, financially, and otherwise. I definitely lost more and more inspiration as 2020 and early 2021 dragged on. I think not being able to test your tracks in a club had a big impact on what people were making and feeling. But I tried all sorts of meditation, yoga, long walks, probably things that everyone did. At one point I was writing 3 things I was grateful for daily, just to try and make sure I stayed positive. I’m also a really goal-driven person, so I wrote things down that I wanted to achieve in a certain timeframe. I found this helped keep me focused. But I won’t lie, I had my off days!
Any artists we should watch out for that you’re digging at the moment?
Yes for sure! My sound is really changing and developing at the moment, and I’m loving things with acid-type synths and basslines! Artists like DJ Shakur, LO’99, and Acid Joy. I’m also buying a lot of tracks from Ammo Avenue, who I think is really great, some of his production are so so good! Then I have a great group of artists that I know personally and have supported for a long time, people like Cami Jones, Jess Kidd, Space Jump Salute, and Ben Murphy.
What are your plans for the rest of 2021? Any exclusives for us?
I’m really looking forward to playing out again, to be honest! The re-launch of my event Sesión in London is on 9th July at Rolling Stock! I’m also playing monthly with Rave Culture at Lightbox and playing Steelyard for the Summer-ized Session gang. I have a couple more releases locked in with Klap Records, and I’m currently in the process of finalising a collab with one of the biggest labels in the game!! I’m really hoping to share details soon!
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us and all the best for the rest of 2021 and beyond!
Thanks so much!
Terri-Anne featuring Medusa – Move Forward EP is out now on Distortion Music, purchase and streaming links here: https://playlists.distortionlabel.com/MoveForwardEP
Artist socials:
https://www.facebook.com/djterrianne
https://www.instagram.com/djterri.anne/
https://soundcloud.com/djterri-anne
https://www.beatport.com/artist/terri-anne/656567
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5EOY61jyr677RT6uZi1YbK?si=Wpe6dh47QbGhU7ogbDY1lA&dl_branch=1
