You’ll have heard of multi-award winning popstar Anne Marie - she’s a jack of all trades. Not only is the UK-born star a singer and songwriter but a judge on The Voice with her own book, too.
Her song, Psycho, with rapper Aitch is already taking TikTok by storm, so I jumped at the chance to catch up with the singer.
When I met her on Zoom mid-week she was recovering from a cold. We’re meeting because Anne Marie has been announced as Fudge Professional’s new brand ambassador. She says she only collaborates with brands she genuinely loves and uses, and Fudge has been one of her go-to’s for blonde hair. Her favourite product? The clean blonde shampoo that promises to turn your hair from yellow to blonde - Anne Marie approved.
Fudge the rules is how Anne Marie lives her life - (she even has a tattoo that reads “break the rules”). That’s exactly how Anne Marie wants to live her life - breaking rules that don't make sense to her.
She loves to live life doing things her own way, which is why her relationship with hair and beauty has changed throughout the years. Chatting candidly, she opens up about being uncomfortable with how she looked when she was younger and using makeup to “cover up.”
She’s since gained confidence in how she looks and views hair products and makeup as a form of empowerment, rather than a tool to hide behind.
Starstruck even via Zoom, I ask Anne Marie when she first knew she had “made it." She laughs as she tells me, “I don't think you ever do. I think you're always striving to be better and to do the next thing.”
There are times, she shares, when she is in the moment that she thinks, “this is it, we’re doing it, we’ve done it”. She says this mainly happens during Christmas, which she loves - it's when she takes a break and stops to reflect on how proud she is of what she’s achieved.
She experiences the same amount of pride with each new song and is especially proud of her two albums, she confesses. Thinking of performances, a moment she will always remember is appearing as a guest on the Glastonbury stage alongside Rudimental, and then going back to perform on that same stage by herself.
To have made the Glastonbury lineup is an achievement for any singer and she’s hugely proud of it - but so too is she of maintaining a positive mindset in an industry that demands long hours and late nights. The best piece of advice she’s ever received? “Honestly, I think it's to enjoy it.”
Recently, she's learned more about herself through talking therapy and has felt better in both her career and personal life, too. Now, she speaks about it openly to encourage others to do the same, if they feel the need.
From her album titled Therapy, it’s obvious Marie is an advocate for its benefits.
She found her therapist on her second round of therapy, which she tells us is very unusual (most people might be put off and give up).
But she’s proof that it can work, and does - frequently. Looking after your mental health isn’t selfish, it’s essential - and she adds that she wouldn’t be who she is today without therapy. That, alongside jigsaw puzzles, Lego, and Karate (yes, really). Writing songs, unsurprisingly, has always been a way of expressing her feelings, too - sometimes without her understanding how to express them out loud.
As a multi-platinum-selling artist, her contestants on The Voice are certainly very lucky. The advice she gives them? Don’t be scared to be different.
When she first got into the music industry, she found she was always compared to other artists, making her feel as though she had to look and sound like them to be successful.
As a result, it took her a long time to actually find her voice and style.
She loves encouraging the contestants on the voice that being different isn't a bad thing - quite the opposite. “If your voice sounds different, stay different. It's what sets you apart."
Alongside everything else going on in her busy career, books are a big part of her life. They help her to learn more about herself.
Her favourite? The Suble Art of Not Giving A F*ck - a book that couldn’t be more apt for someone who clearly lives her life exactly how she chooses - as she should do.
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