At just 20-years-old, ANNIKA ROSE embodies a clarity of vision that’s rare even among the most established artists. After successfully selling out her latest single “Bruises” as a limited collection of 25 audio NFTs on sound.xyz, Annika is back to do it all over again, releasing 50 audio NFTs of her next single “In My Head” in collaboration with HIFI Labs and Cub3. 

Link HERE

About the inspiration behind the track, Annika shares, “I wrote ‘In My Head’ after beating myself up for having the most outlandish thoughts. Humans think over 17,000 thoughts a day, on average, and oftentimes we let those narratives drive us to some pretty insane beliefs. Your own mind can be your biggest enemy; flooded with wild ideas around the what ifs and hows and whens, or even what would happen if I just stopped my car in the middle of the freeway right now? Our mind can be more dangerous than the outside world; dictating your belief system about yourself and the world and persuading you to believe scenarios that are far from reality. ‘In My Head’ was a response to the recognition of how important it is to not identify with each and every thought that infiltrates your brain, and to remind yourself of who you know you are at your core.”

LISTEN TO ANNIKA ROSE ON ADAM LEVY’S MINT PODCAST HERE

How did you get the idea for this project?

At the beginning of 2022, somebody I work with sat me down and introduced me to the weird world of web3. He guided me through all of the potential opportunities in exploring the web3 space, which was a foreign concept to me at the time. I didn’t really know exactly how what he explained would manifest and enable me to expand my creativity to lengths I didn’t even know were possible. 

I took a few months to really dig in and do my own research to understand how I could use blockchain and NFTs to contextualize everything I was already doing in “web2”, and engage with supporters in a completely new way. 

I’ve always considered the fan to artist connection as the most crucial part of what I do, so being able to use these tools to really amplify that, seemed like an exciting adventure I was really interested in exploring. It’s turned into that plus a million other things that would take up this whole interview if I wrote it down, but you’ll be able to see everything I’ve been building at the beginning of 2023. 

How was collaborating with HIFI Labs, Cub3 and Sound.xyz on this?

It was a super easy process. Those three partners specifically have built really solid infrastructure that has seemingly stripped the confusion many people may feel when coming into the space. The teams are super hands-on, engaged, and really guide you through what they do in a very digestible way. They made the process of releasing my first music NFT very simple and fun. 

What do you think is the adjective that best describes yourself as a human being?

That’s a hard one. It depends on my mood and how much coffee I had that morning. After a couple of shots of espresso, I’d say “curious”. 

What do you think is the adjective that best describes yourself as an artist?

“Controlling” lol. No, but in all seriousness I really like to be in charge of everything I do as an artist, so I don’t mean that in any demeaning way. I think I just really respect my own decisions in the process of creating. 

What’s a lifelong dream of yours?

Obviously, I want to reach as many people as I can with my music and perform all around the world. And in between that, I’d like to squeeze in a couple of silent meditation retreats in a country I’ve never been to before. 

What’s the story behind the track?

Well on average, humans think almost 70,000 thoughts a day and it can get really loud inside of your head. A lot of the thoughts that pass through can dictate how you perceive yourself, how you perceive the world, and how you move through your life and decisions. It’s really hard with all of the noise to not identify with the chaos in your mind. Thoughts are so fleeting, and in the moment can convince you of some pretty wild narratives. I guess I just wrote the song about all of that noise. I try to make my mind a healthy, quiet place but sometimes it’s also okay to laugh about all of the crazy shit that happens up there, or write a song about it. 

What inspires you everyday? 

If you’re talking specifically about music, I have different artists that inspire me – Alanis Morissette, Fleetwood Mac,The 1975, Paramore, etc. But generally waking up and just being a human being, I’m honestly inspired the most by what’s around me; the simplicity of nature and connection; how things bloom and die and then bloom again. It’s so simple, but I think it’s a good reminder to just keep going. 

What do you do when you’re running low on energy and creativity?

Take a nap. Go for a walk. Journal. And do anything except be harsh on myself for maybe not feeling like I’m 100% “on”. I think I’m getting more comfortable with the ebbs and flows in every area of my life, including creative output.