". . . there’s something affecting and even mystical going on. Marvel at it."
-Buzzbands.la
Annabelle Freedman wraps you in a delightful blanket of upcycled sounds. Based in Los Angeles, they breathe bewilderment into their generous collaborations bringing you undiluted sincerity. Through the use of undulating vocals, expansive production, NS electric violin, and Fender's Tenor Tele, their work welcomes company into the magnificent as well as the mundane.
Their songs "Sanctuary" and "Mirror's Eye / Goin Within" each with CAPYAC have been favored by many Spotify playlists and radio shows. The track "Mirror's Eye / Going Within" was also featured on the ABC series, Grownish. Annabelle's song "Hear My Mind" was selected for a Dolce and Gabbana social media ad that has been running for over a year. Their release, "Blastin Pastem" with Zhao, broadcast on NPR, premiered on KCRW's most popular show, Morning Becomes Eclectic, and was played by KCRW DJ's Valida, Novena Carmel, Anne Litt, Raul Campos, and Aaron Byrd. It has been listed as an uplifting song to sooth and relieve during this 2020 pandemic, and made the top 20 of 2020 list of several KCRW DJs. "Blastin Pastem" was brought to life by animator Tori Nicole's extraterrestrial music video. Annabelle also released the singles, "reCOLLECTION" along with a music video by Kellen Malloy, "Rainbow", "Green Tree Tops", "Slippin", and "Mirror's Eye" in 2020. Their first production credit, "Flowers" by Def Sound, also graced 2020 airways.
In collaboration with Smile High and Teddy Roxpin, “Hear My Mind” was the first release of Annabelle’s debut EP, Free Debris. The tune was played by DJ Valida and Liza Richardson on KCRW. Their second single, "Steady (feat. Def Sound)," continues Annabelle's collaborations with Smile High. The piece was chosen by Fender as "release of the month" and favored by Spotify playlists and KCRW DJs alike. "Little Toes," their third single, blended the worlds of Annabelle and CAPYAC. The team created and captured visuals to the tune in a music video by Lance Williams. The video and song have been enjoyed by international publications, landed Spotify playlists, got generous KCRW radio time, and even played on the metro screens throughout Mexico City.
Annabelle's EP, Free Debris, premiered on June 11th as an 8-track exploration; "For an EP, it’s album-length in both quantity and emotional heft" (Buzzbands 2019).
Legend has it that Annabelle was dancing in the belly anytime there was music around. However the earliest documents of Annabelle's musical expression were from when she was 3 years old, singing nasally improvised stories as her uncle strummed guitar. Annabelle picked up the violin at 10, learning and teaching Suzuki method by 13. They started playing mandolin in 2011 to accompany their songwriting: self-taught in the blissful isolation of Bay area mountains. It wasn't until the summer of 2013, when they were living in NYC in for street art/mural restoration project, that they were coerced by crowded circumstance to play in front of others. When Annabelle looked up from the perceived privacy of a park bench, they saw that children were dancing. This moment sparked Annabelle's interest in sharing their music. Their first project was called MetronOhm, with Kofi Asare-Aboagye and Hunter Craig. They released a collaborative 5-track EP called "Matter" and a single called "Wabi Sabi" in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Annabelle has played the festivals SXSW, Broke LA, Chinatown Summer nights (KCRW, LA Weekly), Underground Music Showcase (Denver) and more. The performed venues including The Lodge Room, The El Rey, The Moroccan Lounge, The Echo, Bottom of the Hill and Bootleg Theater. In addition to their solo project, they accompany violin, production and vocals with other artists including Lauren Ruth Ward, Def Sound, Holy Wars, TwoLips, and more.