A childhood spent alternately in dance studios, buried in books, or outside on the easternmost seam of the Blue Ridge Mountains shaped Annie Stokes’s childhood and teen years, before college allowed her to pursue the study of history and gender (two themes that come up frequently in Annie’s work). After giving a ‘real’ job the (literal) old college try, it became evident to her that her life’s calling was in music and performance. Annie teamed up with producer Austin Bello for her 2023 EP Wild Rose and a forthcoming full length LP. 

Annie and seven other finalists will gather in Asheville on Thursday, December 11, to connect and perform at the 24th annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, held at The Grey Eagle. Tickets are on sale here.

NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?

Annie Stokes: My mom was really into ’90s country and bluegrass — we were always listening to Trisha Yearwood and Alison Krauss. My grandmother introduced me to musicals, so I listened to a lot of Stephen Sondheim as a young kid. These two very different genres gave me my love of ballads and theatrical musical and lyrical choices while also keeping me rooted in folk instrumentation.

What was your journey to music? 

I grew up doing musical theatre, so I had a lot of vocal training and was adjacent to instruments my whole life. I taught myself guitar when I was in college, and proceeded to teach myself a handful of other instruments. But I’ve certainly learned from other musicians, and wouldn’t be half as decent as I am now without mentorship.

What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?

The first song I wrote that didn’t suck was called “Wrecker,” and to this day, I’m proud of it because it was when I realized that I possessed the ability to write songs. It wasn’t some mystery that I was locked out of.

What is your writing process like? 

I generally start with a lyrical idea or theme and then write the melody. Every now and then, a riff will come to me first, but I consider myself to be a writer and lyricist at heart, so generally I’ll start with lyrics. I write almost exclusively on guitar. In terms of when and where, I’m trying to be a little bit more structured with how I write. An artist I opened for a while ago told me that “the muse honors people who honor her,” which means that you have to be intentional with the time and space you make in your schedule to be creative. You can’t just wait for a good song to pour out. With two young kids and a handful of jobs, that can be tough, though.

Share a musical adventure from this summer with us. 

We played the main stage at Steppin’ Out Fest in Downtown Blacksburg this summer, and that was incredibly special. I played the acoustic stage at the same festival a few years ago, and it was a “pinch me” moment to be able to look at the massive mainstage that we were able to play on.