Ana Popovic - Power UK Tour March 2023

Post

Subscribe

Wed 08 Mar 2023 - Sun 12 Mar 2023

Renowned guitarist Ana Popovic will showcase her forthcoming album with a short UK tour that includes shows in London and Southampton.

The album, Power, is due for release on May 5, 2023, and the tour begins on March 8 at The Live Rooms in Chester, followed by The Sub Rooms in Stroud (March 9), London’s O2 Islington Academy (March 10), The Old Brewery Store, Faversham (March 11) and The Brook, Southampton (March 12).



Ana says the record is about friendship and embracing everything life throws at you.

"In the fall of 2020, while the world was dealing with Covid, I found myself in a dire and devastating situation,” she says. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Having lost my mother three years before the same illness, my world just crumbled. My family had just built a beautiful new home in Manhattan Beach, California. It seemed that everything we had looked forward to, suddenly came to a crashing halt.

"It left me with so many uncertainties. We didn't know what to do. Should we move back to Europe? Should I abandon my music career and simply stop performing? I didn't know what choices I had or what path I should take."

Her bass player and musical director, Buthel, gave her the support and encouragement she needed, telling her she couldn’t retire as she needed to touch people with her music.

"He simply has that gift,” Ana says. “He can build people up."



Consequently, between 14 chemotherapy treatments and flights back and forth between Los Angeles and Amsterdam, where she received her treatments, Ana and Buthel connected on Zoom to write the material that coalesced as the new album. Scheduled demos, recordings, re-recordings and live shows with her band took place between her treatments.

“Buthel was there for me,” recalls Ana. “He took care of the band, oversaw the music, and even chose wigs and hats with me, encouraging my new look, and our new sound, while helping me through every difficult day on the road. This record brought my spirit the salvation it needed, and ultimately, the music and my '64 Fender Stratocaster saved my life. I'm convinced now more than ever that guitars CAN save lives."

On Power, Ana plays Fender Strats, Gibson Les Paul, D'Angelico jazz guitar and even classical nylon string guitar. Musical styles range from rock riffs to hard stomping blues, fast, slick, jazzy licks to slide guitar.



Ana was the only female guitarist to be included in the 2014-2018 all-star Experience Hendrix Tribute, a national tour celebrating the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix that also included such celebrated participants as Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

She was initially introduced to the blues by her father, a celebrated musician in Belgrade, Serbia. She took up guitar as a teenager and formed her first band, Hush, in 1995. She started the Ana Popovic Band in 2000.



Ana recorded her debut album, Hush, in 1999 and subsequently moved to the Netherlands to study jazz guitar and other musical pursuits at The Conservatory of Music. A mother of two, she enjoys her hobby of interior design, as well as learning a play drums. She performed 150 shows in 2021 and has begun directing music videos. She says that the video for new song Recipe Is Romance is a strong message to all women that "you can still feel attractive, you can feel sexy, feel good in your skin, even if you're still recovering after such life struggles, you can reinvent yourself and find power in that.”

She reflects: "Once I found myself back on my feet, everything instantly crystallised for me. I was able to embrace myself, reinvent myself, both my appearance and my sound. I'm ready to keep celebrating life through music. That's where I am now, and, happily, I don't want to look back."


#concerts
#shows
#bands
#performing_arts
#music
#music venues

%wnlondon
%wnsouthampton