Music Update: ‘Crushin’ on U’ and ‘Haunting Me’

Haunting Me album cover
I’m so glad some people have found my music and like what they hear. Here are my latest releases. – Photo “Haunting Me” artwork.

Since I’ve been extra active lately writing and releasing new music, I thought it would be a good time to share a little bit about my musical history and how much I care about the music that I’m giving you.

I’ve been singing ever since I was 4 years old. My parents took me to see “Cats” the musical, and I apparently wouldn’t stop singing the songs from that musical after the show. I was quite an obsessed child and just kept singing songs like “Memory” over and over again.

That led to seeing other blockbuster Broadway musicals, such as “Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Miserables.” I totally fell in love with theater and ended up even getting a Master of Arts degree in theatre from Michigan State University. From there, I discovered rock and metal and loved that kind of music, too.

That’s some of my backstory, and I’m really learning so much about music to this day. The industry evolves so quickly. As someone who has been on the radio my professional life and has written about music for just as long, including interviewing bands such as Metallica and Judas Priest, I have to say that the musicians I speak with agree that the music industry, the business side of it, is always changing.

When I make music with my band, Upon Wings, or my solo music, under Anne Autumn Erickson, it’s so different from how these bands came up “back in the day.” The gatekeepers are gone, because you don’t need a label or expensive recording equipment to make music and get your music out there. But, the gatekeepers are actually kind of still here, though, because there’s so much music out there, and artist on labels still have an advantage on getting their music heard, even on indie labels.

I love music, and creating it is a different kind of joy. My mom says that art helps keep people alive, and I used to think that was silly. It’s doctors and nurses who keep people alive, after all. They do, but art, also, in a way, keeps people going. It helps distract people from troubles or worries, and that’s true for both listeners and artists.

In December, I released one of my favorite solo songs, Anne Autumn Erickson with “Crushin’ on U.” I even rap in this song, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. It’s wild to think that I went from operatic metal music to rapping, but it’s all still me, just different shades of me. Hear “Crushin’ on U” on all platforms here.

I still do operatic metal, too, and released a new song with Upon Wings in January, called “Haunting Me.” Listen to the song on all platforms here. Both of these latest songs are produced by Gemini Beats, who did all the beat production.

I’m writing and recording so much new music in my free time, but I only pick my favorite stuff to release, so I’m sitting on quite a few finished songs that I may never release. But, sometimes I’m surprised by how well a song does that I didn’t think was my favorite, so I probably should release these songs. “Scars,” for example, was my first solo song, and it’s still my most-searched online.

I’m so glad some people have found my music and like what they hear. Please let me know when you listen, because it means the world to me to know that you’re listening and enjoying my creations.