Anna Shirin

Anna Shirin is a creative volcano. She’s an up and coming actor, writer and singer. Her latest movie Invisible Sue actually premiered in October 2018 at Cinekid Festival. Guess who wrote the Films’ title song? Guess who sang it? Right, that’s Anna:

So we are very glad to have her on board for our little album. She wrote ‘Program The Heart‘ and did a little demo on guitar which her dad sent to my dad. So this is also a bit of a dads’ collaboration… No-one would be able to describe the procedure any better than Rosanna Pagaspas and her mum Juliet. If you have seen one of my YouTube videos, you have read one of Juliet’s lovely comments for sure.

So here we go (and I quote Juliet’s comment, research done by Rosanna)

THE ARTIST – Our featured artist today is 13 year-old Anna Shirin from Berlin. She is a young lady of many parts. Still a student, she attended an English-German bilingual school for a number of years. Her interests, according to her Instagram page, are acting, singing, and dancing. Since she was a little kid, Anna has been involved in TV and movie work including adverts and commercials. She plays a bit of guitar and ukulele and composes songs.
THE SONG – In her role today as singer-songwriter, Anna composed “Program The Heart”. It’s a tale of teenage heartache with a folk-rock/pop feel and a bit of a ’70s vibe. She sent Sina a demo, Mike came up with some changes and added the middle part for which he suggested the melody and Anna provided the additional lyrics. A friend of Anna’s, Maya Zoern, had the idea for the vocal harmony.

THE COLLABORATION – These things take time to come to fruition. After Mike’s changes, he and Sina recorded a basic track – guitars, bass, and drums – for Anna’s approval. A month later, on her way to England, Anna stopped by Sina’s basement studio to record her vocals. While she was there, they had to work out the middle part. Once that was done, it was time for some finishing touches by Rick Benbow. According to Rick, the first thing he added was the piano hook that can be heard throughout – a memorable melodic line. The chorus needed to sound bigger so he added an orchestral sound with a “cute li’l synth line or two in it.” Deciding that the middle 8 had something of a ’60s vibe, Rick added a harpsichord there. Finally, Mike had the job of putting it all together – audio and video – for our Friday enjoyment. Great work and thumbs up for all!

FUN FACTS – When Anna isn’t studying, acting, singing or dancing – and finds time to eat – her favorites are burgers, pizza, and sushi – hopefully not all at the same time. She’d like to add more fruit and vegetables but often ends up with chips! You can find out more about Anna from her YouTube vlog channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYvAlIsj6kPgmV7_abvzQiQ It’s aimed at the German audience so most everything is in German. Subtitle translations can be hit or miss and sometimes hilarious but, if you’re adventurous, give it a try.

About a year ago, Anna was on a trip to the USA and posted a photo of herself with the famous “Hollywood” sign in the background. Her caption – “Finally there…” Anna, one day we expect to see you back there again. Today however, you and your co-stars Sina, Mike and Rick are on the 14th and penultimate track of Chi Might II – and that’s a great place to be!