Annie Davis is a fearless late bloomer in rock music, blending raw honesty with genre-bending sound. Self-taught and relentlessly driven, she brings a bold voice to stories others shy away from, carving her own space in a world that hasn’t always welcomed women equally.

In our chat, we talked about her provocative new single, her upcoming album Let It Kill You, and her thoughts on pushing boundaries in rock.

Reuel

Hello Annie! I’ve been so excited about our chat ever since you agreed to do this interview. How are you doing?

Annie Davis

Great! Thank you so much for having me! Right now, at this very moment, I’ll admit that I’m not quite sure what town I’m in! We’ve been road warriors for the last 18 months and I love it, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is often dizzying. We just wrapped a weekend in Arizona followed by the Pacific Northwest and, as we’re talking, I’m headed south in our van with my bass player, Miles, to play a 3 day Fourth of July event on the beach in Mexico. I promise, he’s the one doing the driving while we chat. Ha!

Reuel

I just got to hear your new single ‘Some Strange’. It’s got me feeling a little hot and bothered – that music video is sultry. How are your fans receiving this new song?

Annie Davis

I really like to challenge cultural norms, and this song is a perfect example of that: Some Strange is about filling a void. The song takes place in a biker bar and a seedy motel. In the first verse I describe a “hole in my bed, away from home”. If a guy had written and sung this song, nobody would even think twice, so I decided to push the envelope a bit and make this tune about two women trying to scratch a seven year itch. My fans have come to recognize that I want to talk about the things that matter to me and things that other people might feel are taboo, regardless of whether it’s something you would expect to hear a woman sing about. I co-wrote this with the super-talented Thommy Price, long-time drummer for Joan Jett and Billy Idol. This is a throwback song to the rock music that I grew up on, so I really loved seeing a comment online that said, “This song makes me feel like 1985”.

Reuel

The single is taken from your upcoming album, “Let It Kill You”. What can you tell us about this new album? And how did you come up with a name like that?

Annie Davis

I am so excited about this new album. It has a lot of the variety that my first album Sticks and Stones had, but takes it in a little heavier direction. I even wrote a metal song for this album! That being said, it also has songs like “Sugar”, which have a Nashville country kind of vibe, and “Big Red Bow”, which has a hip hop flair to it. I try not to pigeonhole myself into writing in any particular type of genre. I write my lyrics first and I try to wrap them in whatever type of song makes the most sense for the lyrics. I think it’s a really fun album, and I’m super excited to share it with our fans. The name “Let It Kill You” came from a quote that I love that reads, “Find the thing you love, and let it kill you.” I found music later in life, but I feel like it is the thing I was meant to do, and I’ll do whatever it takes to take this band as far as it can go.

Reuel

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard it before?

Annie Davis

A recent reviewer wrote that we are a “sonic rebellion” and my lyrics have a “bite that could chew glass and spit glitter”. I never dreamed that we’d receive compliments like that and I think it’s a fantastic description.

Reuel

Can you tell us a little about your musical background? What musicians had the most influence on you growing up and inspired you to become an artist yourself?

Annie Davis

I’m not sure I was actually influenced by anyone to become an artist. It was kind of in me from the beginning. I taught myself to play the trumpet in the 5th grade, put myself through college on scholarship, and fell in love with music. I gave it up for many years to go find a “real” job. But music really never left me. I picked up my first guitar during COVID and started writing. I had never written a song or sung in front of anybody before, but at 44 years old I found the thing that I felt like I was supposed to do. Once COVID lifted, I put together a rock band and started touring the country and doing this crazy thing and have never looked back. I don’t feel like music is a choice for those of us who do it. It’s more of a compulsion that we have to do.

Reuel

If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Annie Davis

This is a cool question. There are so many people that would be so cool to collaborate with. But I’m going to go in a weird direction and say Mozart. I think classical artists are some of the most gifted people, with their vision for building symphonies and multi-layer instrumental pieces that don’t rely on a storyline or lyrics to convey emotion. I’m so impressed by that style of music and feel like it’s something I could never do. So being able to collaborate with somebody who is amazing in that genre would be such an incredible learning experience. To crawl into their heads and see how they do what they do.

Reuel

How do you feel about the representation of women in heavy music today, and what do you think can be done to promote more inclusivity and support for female musicians?

Annie Davis

Rock and roll has been a man’s world since the beginning. I want to win based on great music, not just because I am a female. It’s always a challenge for me when people compare me strictly to other female artists. I don’t want to be compared to other female artists. I want to be compared to all rock and roll artists. I want people to come to shows because they love the music and they love what we do, not because they want to see a woman singing rock and roll songs in a sparkly bra. It’s a really fun show and something I am very proud of. I feel like we are pushing the envelope for rock and roll no matter the gender. That being said, ur shows are very inclusive and we get everybody from art school kids to guys in full leather that roll up on their Harleys. And that is what makes this music so awesome for me, that we can connect with people of all shapes, sizes, genders, and ages. That is what rock and roll is all about in my opinion!

Reuel

Thank you for your time, Annie, and for this interview. I can’t wait to get to one of your shows. Is there anything else you’d like to conclude this interview with?

Annie Davis

Go see live music. Go see bands that you’ve never heard of. Buy their albums. Better yet, buy two and give one to a friend. We are all in this together, and we can’t do this without our fans. There are so many amazing bands out there trekking around the country playing shows on any night of the week for $10-$20. You don’t have to spend $400 to go see a huge artist at a stadium to get an amazing live music experience. Support your local venues and support your local artists, and you may be surprised at how far they go someday because you did.