Hello Neighbor!

I have many fond memories growing up (pre-kindergarten) and lying on the carpet in front of the TV in my childhood home, my unicorn ("Uni") in one hand and an apple juice in the other, watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood as my mom was in the kitchen either cooking or tidying up the house and my sister was at school. I LOVED everything about that show. Being that I was a very hyperactive kid there was always a certain calm that came over me while watching it. I loved how Mr. Rogers would get frequent visits from the postman and other folks in this neighborhood. At a young age this small detail instilled in me the belief that being part of a strong community is so important.

Flash forward to today. We are now lucky enough to have our office in sunny Los Angeles, which is such a treat!. There's so much talent bubbling in our own close-knit neighborhood, and in the spirit of Mr. Rogers' spotlighting everyday standouts I thought it would be fun to introduce you to some of our friends in OUR Los Angeles neighborhood and give you a peek inside their creative worlds. We hope you are as inspired by these incredible women as we are! - Laura

Get to know Anastasia:

1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you started your music career? As a child were you always drawn to singing and writing? Would you say that learning instruments came easy to you?

I started my music career accidentally. I've always loved writing and singing. As a child I wrote short stories and poems and journaled a lot. My biggest musical influence has always been my dad, and growing up we'd harmonize songs together, and he shared a really wide range of musical styles/genres with me. My grandma, dad's mom, had a piano at her house and every time we'd visit (at least once a week) I'd sit in the front room banging on the piano while all the adults and cousins were in other rooms or outside. I started taking piano lessons and performed in school concerts. I don't know if learning instruments came easy (piano as a kid, guitar as an adult) or if I just really love it and get in the zone and practice, try, experiment.

As an adult I began to experiment with recording myself and my own songs for the first time and released my first EP in the Spring of 2016. Once it was released bookers and promoters seemingly came out of nowhere and started booking me for music festivals and other shows and my music career began... I feel very fortunate to live an easeful life and enjoy what feels like a steadily blossoming career as a singer, songwriter, and musician.

2. What's your favorite album of all time?

Lovesexy by Prince... the main lyrical themes of the album are positivity, self-improvement, spirituality and God which are all main themes in my own music. Also, best cover art ever AND it was/is released as one continuous track which is genius (#noskips) plus it was released 9 months before I was born and includes the song Anna Stesia so it practically birthed me, right?

3. Who in history would you like to meet if you could travel back in time and why?

Prince in the 70s in Minneapolis. We form a bond, form a band, and fall in love writing beautiful music. "We could live a little while/If you could just learn to smile/You and I could fly away" <3

4. Summer or Winter, which do you prefer?

So hard to choose! I love them both for different reasons. My birthday is in the middle of winter which always feels like a rebirth and I love layering clothes and cool coats so I'm gonna go with winter... for now :)

5. What's the best thing you've ever eaten?

Hmmmmm... also hard to choose... I'm gonna go with Frozen Fruit Co in Santa Monica. It's the best ice cream period, vegan or non-vegan, but it just so happens to be vegan, delicious, refined sugar free and mostly 5 ingredients or less which is important to me. It tastes like Jesus loves me... the best!

Follow Anastasia @anastasiaantoinette