Annika Catharina Interview
By Big Al Weekley for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
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Though pop and rock were the genres that Annika Catharina first loved, it was the songs of Patsy Cline that drew her to country music. After hearing “Walking After Midnight” and “Crazy”, she wanted to perform country songs any chance she got. Based in the Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Annika started singing country covers along with other classics, placing in various competitions, such as Variety’s Got Talent, PNE Star Showdown, and Youth Talent Search BC.
In 2017, a bad accident changed Annika’s course, requiring multiple surgeries and reconstructive facial surgery as part of her recovery. While her new circumstances made singing challenging, it hardened her resolve to pursue music. Determined to turn a setback into a turning point of positive transformation and inner strength, Annika steadily grew her musical activities, eventually taking on singing duties with a working band and in an acoustic duo.
In 2021, Annika began releasing music for the first time – first with a collaborative cover of “Sweet Child of Mine” with Sad Puppy and DuoViolins that netted over a 1 million Spotify streams, as well as four 2022 singles as part of the country duo Broadway Crush. On stage, she continued to make strides with performances at the Rockin’ River Music Festival and the “Hell or High Water” fundraiser in 2022.
Eager to release music as a solo artist, Annika’s first single, “Better” arrived in 2023, gaining Spotify editorial placement on the “Fresh Finds” playlist and also being added to rotation on Sirius XM Canada’s Top of the Country.
Having found a new muse in the form of the producing duo The Renaissance (Garrett Ward and Dan Botch), Annika released her follow-up single “Broke It” later that summer, gaining support through Amazon Music this time on their “Breakthrough Country” and “Just North of Nashville” playlists.
As she celebrates her first single of 2024, “What if I”, Annika Catharina is excited, inspired, and – more than anything – grateful for being able to record music and share it with the world.