At 19, Anna Duboc already has the kind of streaming numbers many artists spend years chasing. More than 60 million streams into her career, she has built a sizable audience while still figuring out what adulthood, creative independence, and long-term artistry actually mean to her.
That tension sits at the center of her forthcoming EP, Once in a Blue Moon, her first project that she considers a truly adult body of work. Rather than dramatically abandoning the music she made as a teenager, Duboc sees the EP as an expansion. The darker emotional honesty that first connected with listeners is still there, but it now shares space with optimism, curiosity, and a growing willingness to let herself experience more than one emotional register.
The project begins with “Toxin,” a song about the kind of relationship that refuses to fit neatly into categories like good or bad. Built around emotional contradiction, mismatched love languages, and the discomfort of not knowing exactly what something means while you’re still inside it, the track captures much of what makes Duboc’s writing compelling: she isn’t particularly interested in pretending she has everything figured out.
That same attention to detail carries into the music itself. Duboc is not simply the voice at the front of the record; she’s a songwriter and producer who thinks about chords, textures, vocal stacks, instrumentation, and emotional atmosphere as pieces of the same puzzle. Once in a Blue Moon also brings together an impressive group of musicians, including Vinnie Colaiuta, Rhonda Smith, Gary Novak, Tom Crouch, and Vixen, placing Duboc’s deeply personal songwriting alongside players with decades of experience.
As she prepares to turn 20—and celebrate both her birthday and the project with a live show at The Mint in Los Angeles—Duboc finds herself in an unusually literal transition between eras. The teenager who first found an audience through vulnerable songs is still present, but the artist stepping forward now sounds increasingly comfortable trusting her own instincts.
We spoke with Anna Duboc about growing up through music, escaping the pressure of algorithms, producing her own emotional worlds, learning from legendary musicians, and why Once in a Blue Moon feels less like an arrival than the beginning of something much larger.
Once in a Blue Moon marks your first “adult” body of work. Emotionally and creatively, what does this project say about who Anna Duboc is today that your earlier music couldn’t?
This EP really marks my first adult body of work. I think Anna Duboc today is a lot more aware of who she is and more willing to explore different sides of herself instead of just the super depressing parts of her music.
Earlier on, I was really critical of myself. Writing songs that were happier or more optimistic felt scary because I wasn’t sure they would be taken seriously. I’m finally allowing myself to explore those emotions too.
I’ve also grown a lot emotionally. When I first started releasing music, I was open about struggling with my mental health. Between COVID and everything that comes with being a teenager, I was processing a lot, and many of those early songs came from a much darker place. Some of them actually started out even darker than what people eventually heard.
Now songwriting feels completely different. Instead of being an angry journal entry, it’s become a healthier way for me to process and channel my emotions. It’s something that helps me understand myself rather than just vent.
Your new single “Toxin” explores a more mature chapter of your artistry. Without giving too much away, what inspired the song, and why did it feel like the right introduction to this new era?
“Toxin” was inspired by a relationship where I genuinely couldn’t tell whether it was really good or really bad. There wasn’t one huge thing that made it unhealthy. It was more that there were moments where I felt incredibly safe and happy, and then there were other moments where I felt completely neglected.
I wanted to write about that confusion because, on paper, it seemed like we should have worked. We were good people, but we just didn’t speak the same love language. I’m someone who really values words of affirmation, and that’s where the lyric, “You don’t speak my love language because you don’t speak at all,” came from. He expressed love through acts of service, but I needed more than that. I needed someone who could actually tell me how they felt.
The song actually started with the line, “Speak of the devil, you walk right in.” From there, I loved playing with the contrast between angels and devils, good and bad, and the feeling of being caught somewhere in between. It became a song about embracing that emotional confusion instead of trying to neatly define it.
Despite being only 19, you’ve already amassed more than 60 million streams and built a dedicated audience online. How has growing up in such a digitally connected music landscape shaped both your confidence and your songwriting?
It’s definitely a mixed experience.
One thing I’m grateful for is that, while I was growing up and still in school, my music career mostly existed separately from my everyday life. That gave me the space to develop as both a student and an artist without feeling like every part of my life had to be lived online.
At the end of the day, I try not to let social media define my confidence or influence the way I write. The music always has to come first.
Collaborating with legendary musicians like Vinnie Colaiuta, Rhonda Smith and Gary Novak is a remarkable milestone so early in your career. What did working alongside artists with decades of experience teach you about making records?
I was fortunate to grow up around incredible musicians because of my mom’s career in the music industry. That’s how I was introduced to people like Vinnie Colaiuta, Rhonda Smith and Gary Novak, and being around artists of that caliber from such a young age taught me so much.
Sonically, they have an incredible instinct for what feels right. Watching them work reinforced my love for live instrumentation and the magic that happens when talented musicians simply play together in the moment. They’re the kind of artists who can walk in, do an incredible first take and create something that feels completely alive.
Being around musicians like that taught me to trust the process and embrace the authenticity that comes from real performances rather than chasing perfection.
You’re not only a singer-songwriter but also a producer. How does producing your own music change the way you tell stories compared to simply writing lyrics or melodies?
Producing gives me another way to tell the story.
The lyrics are what I want people to hear, and the melody is how I want those words to live in your mind. Production is how I want you to feel them physically. It’s how I create the emotional atmosphere around the song.
I’m very particular about every detail, whether it’s the chords, the drum sounds or the textures throughout a track. Sometimes changing something as simple as the chord voicing completely changes the emotional impact. A major chord might feel one way, but changing it to a major seven suddenly gives it a completely different emotional weight.
I love thinking about music that way because every production decision helps reinforce the feeling I’m trying to communicate.
Indie pop has become an incredibly diverse genre, with artists constantly blending organic instrumentation and modern production. As you’re finding your own voice, what sonic elements feel most essential to defining your sound?
My biggest through line will always be my songwriting. I’m incredibly particular about my lyrics, and that’s probably the most consistent part of everything I make.
Beyond that, I absolutely love big vocal harmonies and layered vocal stacks. I also love keeping an organic element in my music. Even if a song includes synths or electronic production, I always want there to be real instruments in the mix. I love having live guitar, real keyboards and, whenever possible, live drums.
There’s something about organic instrumentation that gives music warmth and personality, and that’s become a really important part of my sound.
Releasing your debut EP and celebrating your 20th birthday with a hometown show at The Mint feels symbolic. What does this moment represent for you?
It really feels like the beginning of a new chapter.
Turning 20 and releasing this EP at the same time feels symbolic because I’m leaving behind my teenage years and stepping into adulthood, both personally and creatively. That’s definitely exciting, but it’s also a little scary.
More than anything, though, it feels like growth. This project represents where I am now, and I’m excited to see where this next chapter takes me.
Many artists experience pressure to create for social media and streaming algorithms. How have you stayed focused on making music that feels authentic to you?
When you’re constantly creating for what a computer wants to promote, it takes away from the human connection that makes music meaningful in the first place. Of course, part of making music is understanding what resonates with people, but if you’re only thinking about algorithms, you lose your own creativity along the way.
While there’s pressure to keep releasing content and stay visible online, I never want that to influence the songs themselves. I try to make sure the creative process stays honest, even when everything around it is encouraging you to think about numbers instead.
Your music often balances vulnerability with polished production. When listeners hear Once in a Blue Moon, what emotions or conversations do you hope it sparks?
More than anything, I hope it inspires honesty.
I’ve always tried to write from a place of honesty and vulnerability, and I hope these songs encourage people to have honest conversations—not only with the people around them, but with themselves.
A lot of these songs came from moments where I knew something wasn’t working in my life, but I wasn’t quite ready to admit it to myself. I think we’ve all had experiences like that, where we ignore what we’re feeling because it’s easier than facing the truth.
If this EP encourages someone to recognize those feelings, be more honest with themselves and open up to the people they care about, then I think it’s done what I hoped it would do.
You’re entering an exciting new chapter of your career, but this EP also feels like just the beginning. Looking five years ahead, what kind of artist—and person—do you hope this project becomes the foundation for?
I hope it becomes the foundation for a career as a touring artist.
I love being in the studio, but performing live is where I truly come alive. Five years from now, I hope I can confidently say, “I’m Anna Duboc,” and have people know who I am and want to come experience these songs in person.
Being on stage is my biggest passion, and that’s where I hope this music leads. If this EP is the first step toward building a career where I can continue writing, recording and performing for people around the world, I’d be incredibly grateful.
