ANASTÁZIE is a talented singer and producer with Armenian and Czech roots, currently living in London. Her music intertwines deep emotions, personal experiences, and rich cultural heritage, creating a unique and sensual sound. In her new single “silence,” she explores different facets of silence from pain and distance to acceptance and inner peace. In this interview, ANASTÁZIE talks about the creative process behind “silence,” her journey in music, sources of inspiration, and vision for the future.

Hi ANASTÁZIE! You know how some tracks just melt onto your skin, like your favorite silk shirt after a shower? ‘silence’ feels exactly like that: warm, smooth, intimate. Everything in it flows and wraps around you. So here’s what I’m curious about: when building the mood of this song, vocally and in production, were you following a feeling from inside, or were you chasing a specific sound from the start?

When building a mood of my latest record “silence”, I was definitely following a feeling from the inside. Since it is a quite an emotional song regarding the lyrics that I wrote and the o eel al production, the whole mood of “silence” came from the feelings and emotions, as well as thoughts. I think that’s the reason people can relate to it more.

The track is called ‘silence’, but what kind of silence are we talking about here? Was it a story about personal boundaries, distance, or maybe something closer to acceptance?

The beauty of “silence” is that it can be all those things. It’s the acceptance, it’s the distance but also closeness, it’s a lot of noise and it’s silence. For me, I was writing the lyrics and “it hurts but I won’t hear this silence” came to my mind. I thought it’s a very good metaphor, since you can’t really hear the silence, but you can be very aware of it. And sometimes silence speaks much more than any words.

Alright, let’s talk vibe. This honestly sounds like if Sade recorded something with Tems’ producers, handed it off to FKA twigs, and then you came in and made it all softer, smoother. That kind of sound doesn’t happen by accident. Who did you work with on this track and how did the production process unfold? Did you have a clear vision from the beginning, or did it come together through experimentation?

The whole process was definitely very experimental, I got to the studio with producer called “Choisez” and I just showed him some tracks that I loved at that moment. Since I believe, that whatever you love listening to, also influences what you’re writing. And then everything went smoothly, I’ve started improvising the melody a few minutes after and he played around with some acoustic guitar.

What’s most important to you in your sound is it how sensual the track feels? Like, is it the bass, the beat, something else? What’s the one moment when you listen back and get goosebumps, when you know, yeah, it’s done?

I genuinely love the bridge in the “silence”. It’s probably my favorite and also a very important part of the record. I love how detail oriented it is, there’s so many harmonies layered to make the sound of the choir from my own voice, there’s lyrics are very soft yet powerful and the dynamical structure is great. I genuinely love that part.

When it comes to silence in a relationship, how do you experience it yourself? Is it a survival mechanism for you or a form of protest?

I think it can really depends on the situation. The beauty of silence is that it doesn’t always have to be bad. Sometimes, the level of comfort and peace with a partner is so high, that silence between the two of you can be nice and needed. Since you know you’ve got that person and you can be fully yourself with him, that you can fully recharge and comfort each other in that way.

You’re coming from two very rich cultures, Czech and Armenian, with their own histories, symbols, contrasts. And now you’re living in London, a city full of rhythm and beautiful roughness. Do you feel like all of that the melancholy, the fire, the street energy leaks into your music too?

My backgrounds and cultures play a massive part in my music. I’m a very proud Armenian, I love our mentality, culture, our churches, our people, our transitions and our hearts. The same way I’m a very proud Czech. I love our sense of humor, our holidays traditions, our nature, our straightforwardness, our food and our souls. So for me, I implement all of those things into my music because that’s just the main part of who I am and where I came from.

There’s this idea of an internal life soundtrack everyone has one, even if they don’t talk about it. Your music sounds like it’s made for people who forgot how to say their feelings out loud. Do you write more from pain or from beauty? What gets you into the studio – heartbreak or flow?

I appreciate it! In my own experience, it’s also connected to the style and the genre of music that you writing in. Since RnB and aftrobeats are more sensual in general, it’s very natural that the lyrical context will also be more sensual, real and raw. When I write, I go back to my experiences and my emotions because that’s what people relate to. And of course the more you write, the better you write, so i definitely think that it’s always good to imagine yourself in the specific situation and write about it.

It’s one thing to be an artist, but stepping into production, that’s another level of creative control. And you’ve done it. On your own. What’s been the hardest part of co-producing your own tracks, getting others on board with your vision, or figuring out how to articulate it to yourself?

I think the most challenging part was to learn how to articulate all of the thoughts and ideas to the producers in their professional language. It came with difficulties, but now, it’s much easier. The most important is the stick to your vision but also realize, that as soon as you’re working with someone, you need to compromise and listen to their ideas as well. That’s how collaborative work gets done, it needs to be a shared process in the results of which, both parties are happy.

London is loud and anonymous, but there’s a scene here that can give you a voice if you know where to stand. What has the London scene given you, and was there a moment where you thought, okay, this is it, I’m in the right place?

Even when I was 17 and first came to London to study in the university, I felt that it’s the right place for me. There were so many people around me who didn’t feel that way and wanted to go back home after studies, but for me, I felt in the right space. London opened up many doors for me and I took every opportunity I was given, that’s why me and London work well together. That city is not for everyone, it’s raw and loud and sometimes you just need a bit of “silence” but I love the London energy because it works well with my energy.

A lot of artists today are afraid of disappearing into the noise getting lost in the algorithm, buried under the stream. But ‘silence’ sounds like it’s riding that wave, steering it. Do you feel like your voice is already being heard, or are you still building that volume, step by step?

I believe that every artist builds up the volume step by step, people just don’t know about it. For people, it’s just 1 day and someone else is famous, but for the artists who are in the industry, they know that they’ve been doing it for years, sometimes decades before becoming famous. Im most definitely still building up my volume step by step and I’m grateful with how’s it going. I’m thankful for my team, for people who support me and listen to my records and I’m thankful to myself, for always believing and working hard. 
It’s a bliss.

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