ANYMA Reflects on Her Turmoil in, "If God Had a Boat"

From Wendake, QC, the explorative artist, and singer-songwriter ANYMA sinks deeper into her emotions through a vulnerable single, "If God Had a Boat."

Raised by a choreographer mother and a musician, producer, and cultural chief father, the First Nations artist ANYMA later discovered her passion for music through her father's professional production of 'Ozalik.' After the passing of her father, ANYMA felt compelled to dive deeper into her craft and explore the emotions she felt when facing life's turmoil.

Gearing up to release her debut EP later this fall, ANYMA introduces us to the project through its lead single, "If God Had a Boat." The single itself is incredibly moving, as it explores the groaning depths of alt/dark-pop while ANYMA touches on the darkest periods of her life. "If God Had a Boat reflects on how I saw myself at that time. I felt empty, carrying this burden – existing in this body but absent from myself," states ANYMA.

"If God Had a Boat" opens with ANYMA's bright and beaming vocal stylings accompanied by a fluttery piano melody and calming bird samples. As she begins letting us into the pain she experienced after sitting with her father's loss, ANYMA tugs on our heartstrings with lyrics like "If God had a boat, I would sail it to you, made my mistakes, and it broke me in two."

While the majority of the song consists of a mesmerizing and natural ballad, ANYMA picks up the second half of the song with intricate drum breaks, a soaring string section, and captivating background vocals. As the song comes to an end with an intense and dark synthetic breakdown, ANYMA leaves us in a profound trance.

Find peace of mind with ANYMA's recent emotional single, "If God Had a Boat," and prepare yourself for her forthcoming debut EP later this fall.

Welcome to BuzzMusic, ANYMA. We're genuinely impressed with the emotional and compelling atmosphere you've created with your single, "If God Had a Boat." When did you begin feeling compelled to create a song that reflects on your profound emotions?

About two years ago, I went through a big existential crisis, where I would ask myself what was my true path and why I was here on earth. I was going through grief, anxiety, and was seeking answers. I had a lot of pain, and the day came where I had to leave town. I went to California with a friend. We arrived at Clam Beach in the middle of November, it was cold and foggy. I was compelled to the sea, looking at the horizon, I could see the immensity of earth and the big unknown unraveling on my feet. I started to sing. Whatever came to my heart and mind I would sing random words, I felt my ancestors were all around me. I cried and fell in the water. I remember it so clearly, I was asking the universe to hear me. To hear my pain of the world.. of what I experience here as a human, that it is really hard and that I was tired, I needed their support. It was my scream to the universe, I told it that if I do not make music on earth.. then I was ready to leave, that they could come and get me because I had one thing in my heart and it was to make music for humans. In that message was sitting the answer. I had to make music to heal. So from this immense pain of wanting to leave earth, to overcoming all of my emotions to transform them in a song, in an EP. “If God Had A Boat” is a small picture of this pain, when I felt deeply sad, I let that emotion come out of my throat, to heal and to give this experience away in music. If someone goes through the process of having no strength left.. and needs support, I just hope they can hold on a bit to this song and hear that I support them and from the bottom of my heart want for them to conquer this feeling, that I know is one of the most painful.

Did you find it challenging to open up and be so vulnerable when writing your lyrics for "If God Had a Boat?” What was the toughest part of your songwriting process?

I guess it is quite true that I go straight to the point in my lyrics that I am not ok, that I felt like leaving. I did not find that it was hard to write, because it really needed to get out of my system, I did not speak to anyone about those feelings at that moment so I had to let it all out at some point. If you don’t then it does a lot of harm to you and your body, and sometimes others when you don’t take care of your soul. This song for me was the cure to my deepest emotion. What was hard though, was singing in the studio, going back into those emotions, and trying to sing it perfectly, and letting the emotions come again and again. Singing on the pitch, on the click, doing the same sentence 20 times made the process difficult for me. It affected my performance. I would sing with pain in my voice, like when you want to cry your eyes out but can’t (because you're in a professional situation where someone’s time is counted) and when you retain all those tears well it burns your throat. So this was hard and I got a lot of anxiety out of this, but I did it! I went through it and pushed against it. This song was all about going through this pain so I had to.

Did you work with any producers to navigate the sonics for "If God Had a Boat?" What sort of atmosphere and feel were you aiming to achieve with the sonics?

Yes. Pierre-Olivier Couturier is my producer. He knows me, and we have the same musical intuitions and tastes. It was a process for sure, we had to find the right colors and he came up with something magical in the end. His true talent for music inspires me to be better and he helped a lot in this whole creation.

What did you want your audience to feel after listening and experiencing the depths of your single "If God Had a Boat?”

I want them to feel strength, courage, united, and loved. In those big moments of turning our lives around and going deep into the healing processes, to feel like we are not alone is a key even if it is through your ancestors or a song, or a tree it can be anything. Then find the strength to pick yourself back up like a seed, when it is in the obscure state, making its roots, making them deep, to find the courage to push out of the ground without knowing what flower yet you are, and not even knowing where you will end up once out there. It is truly a big moment for someone to choose to grow. Once you have done the work, love for oneself, others, and for life will truly be the most beautiful reward anyone can have, along with the magnificent synchronicities that your path will unveil for you and see how magic works when you listen.

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