Norwegian electro-pop singer-songwriter Anna Lotterud, better known as Anna of the North, performs at the Troubadour this week, so we had a chat about what we can expect.

L.A. WEEKLY: When did you start singing, writing and performing, and when did you realize it could be a career?

ANNA OF THE NORTH: I've been singing and writing music my entire life. I remember writing love songs to Aaron Carter. I was madly in love with him. Melodies always came to my head. I remember sitting in the back seat of my mom and dad's car. Singing, looking out the window, pretending I was in a music video. My brother asked me nicely to shut the fuck up.

Performing was different. I was too nervous. I couldn't do it. To be honest, I never thought music was something I could do as a career. It wasn't for people like me. It was a dream. I never told people. And as i grew older, I kept it more to myself. 

It wasn't before I moved to Melbourne where I met a whole new mentality, I slowly opened up to music again. People were so open-minded. and everyone there was doing something creative. You didn't have to have songs released to be an artist. You didn't have to have a book published to be a writer. So slowly I started telling people about my passion and people were pushing me to do something with it. I released “Sway” as Anna of the North on SoundCloud and here I am.

It took a long time before I got used to the performing part. It was really hard for me. At times I thought my nerves were going to ruin it all for me. But look at me now. My first American headline tour. Everything is possible.

Describe your sound/style.

The hardest question of them all. I don't know. I've released one album. I wrote the whole album with one person. It has an electro '80s vibe. Synth-heavy. Dreamy. I’ve just started to release new music from what hopefully is gonna be my second album. And it's a little different. I guess I’m still trying to figure it all out.

How do you think you've grown/evolved since the Lovers album in 2017?

A lot. I've definitely grown as an artist. As a writer and performer. I didn't know much when this journey started. I've always done what feels right for me. And I'm gonna keep doing that. Hopefully I'll keep evolving.

What can we expect from this L.A. set?

FUUNtimes! I'm super excited to be back in L.A. to do my second headline show. Performing some of my old and new songs. I can't wait to show people what I've been working on the last year. I love L.A. I've been over there a couple of times for writing. So many talented people out there.

After this tour, what's next for you in 2019?

More new music. More shows! Maybe an album?

Anna of the North plays with Conner Youngblood at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24, at the Troubadour.

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