Anna Calvi

A somewhat timid London beauty that transforms into a blood-curdling siren on stage. Anna Calvi got off to a dream start. Notorious admirers like Nick Cave and Brian Eno (‘the biggest thing since Patti Smith’, he said) provided the first patents of nobility. They are people with a broad taste, just like Calvi. She was classically trained. Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen and Maurice Ravel were her first musical heroes. After discovering Jimi Hendrix and Django Reinhardt, she tried to translate that feeling onto a guitar. For her singing she turned towards Maria Callas, Edith Piaf and Nina Simone. She made her debut with Rob Ellis, the man who has been co-determining PJ Harvey’s sound for over 20 years. ‘Anna Calvi’ (2011) is regarded by the international press as one of the best and most interesting albums of the year and almost made it onto every European chart. Incredible.