Annie J Releases Soulful New Single
Seattle’s Annie J offers up another taste of her upcoming EP, Been Loving You, with the new single “Makin Bacon,” as premiered on KEXP. The record is a profound exploration of a personal journey through life’s stages that unfolds like a memoir, each song capturing moments of introspection and revelation.
The second single from Been Loving You, “Makin Bacon” sizzles, echoing the controlled panic that can be felt when striving for perfection while realizing that it can never be reached.
“The heat, the popping grease, the idea of heightening the stakes with a little one underfoot, all together start to tell what it’s like to be a mother and an artist, or any female professional in the world and society we live in,” Annie says.
“I wanted to leave the listener wondering, ‘Is she going to burn the house down?’”
After years of working with esteemed artists such as the Seattle Rock Orchestra, The True Loves, Odesza, The Dip, Allen Stone, the legendary Cedell Davis, and more, Annie J is ready to share her own stories of hard-won realization on her sophomore EP. With a wealth of experience, she has learned to weave authenticity and connection into her work, creating a record that empowers listeners to find strength in vulnerability.
As the second-eldest daughter in a large Mormon family – five siblings in all – Annie J has always relied on music to find a sense of belonging. With a childhood spent shuffling around small towns throughout the US, she discovered that art created a deeper understanding of her purpose than what was on the surface. Annie’s family eventually settled on the east side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State—through it all, she found a constant companion in what was flowing through the speakers of a “dream machine” radio alarm clock her grandfather gifted her.
The R&B and jazz stylings of Whitney Houston and Nina Simone that Annie gravitated toward swirled with country-soaked powerhouse voices of Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, The Chicks and The Judds that her mother had on repeat. The messages these women sent via their music sparked her desire not only for singing but also for crafting stories and emotions into melodies that resonate, as well as modeling the significance of what it means to be uniquely you.
Formally trained in classical music, Annie studied theater in college, which offered a gateway to a wider world—learning to inhabit another viewpoint was a profound experience as an actor and later as a writer. She began to realize her talent for storytelling. In the years since, Annie’s sound has evolved into a singular blend of pop sensibility, soulful expression, and jazz-infused rhythms—she mentions contemporary voices like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, and Billie Eilish are current influences. She blends her skillful songwriting and brilliant vocals seamlessly for a sound that is truly her own.
Been Loving You is a letter of sorts to earlier versions of herself, an exhumation of her past, and an embrace of gratitude for her experiences.
“Been Loving You calls through time to me as a young girl, a young woman, an adult, and a new mom,” she says. “The words and music are for each, ever-evolving version of me. It’s a reminder: this is just life, mama—you’ll be okay. Keep creating yourself, and keep writing the story. It matters.”