Anohni

Anohni
Juan Bendana · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Anohni
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, artist, composer

Anohni is a singer, songwriter, visual artist, and composer known for a distinctive voice and multidisciplinary work across music, visual art, and activism. Emerging from the New York performance scene, she gained prominence with a band that combined chamber pop, electronic, and orchestral textures, later pursuing solo projects and film scoring. Her work engages with themes of identity, ecology, technology, and political critique, often intersecting with contemporary art institutions and major cultural figures.

Early life and education

Born in the United Kingdom and raised in Cheshire, she later spent formative years in London and moved to the United States, including California and New York City. Her early influences include exposure to David Bowie, Nico, Kate Bush, Tracy Chapman, and the work of Marina Abramović during visits to galleries and museums such as the Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art. She studied visual arts and performance at institutions connected with the New School and engaged with the East Village, Manhattan arts scene, collaborating with peers from The Factory-adjacent circles and experimental collectives tied to Judson Memorial Church and St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery.

Musical career

Her musical trajectory began in the underground venues of Greenwich Village, evolving into a group that recorded with labels connected to Mute Records and toured festivals including SXSW, Primavera Sound, and Glastonbury Festival. Influenced by producers and musicians such as Brian Eno, Björk, Thom Yorke, Radiohead, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, and Philip Glass, her recordings incorporate orchestral arrangements recalling work by Ennio Morricone and electronic textures akin to Aphex Twin and Massive Attack. She released albums that received coverage in publications like The New York Times, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and NME, and earned nominations and awards from institutions including the Mercury Prize and the Grammy Awards for collaborations on film soundtracks with directors such as David Lynch, Lynne Ramsay, and Gaspar Noé.

Visual art and performance work

Anohni's visual art practice has been shown in galleries and museums such as the Tate Modern, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Serpentine Galleries, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Institute of Contemporary Art where she has presented installations combining video, performance, and sound. Curators from institutions like the Serpentine Gallery, the Hammer Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum have included her work in exhibitions alongside artists such as Marina Abramović, Cindy Sherman, Yayoi Kusama, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Matthew Barney. Her performances have taken place in venues tied to Performa, Documenta, Venice Biennale, and Frieze Art Fair, often incorporating collaborators from the worlds of contemporary dance, theater, and experimental film connected to figures like Pina Bausch, Robert Wilson, Merce Cunningham, and Angelo Badalamenti.

Collaborations and production

She has collaborated with a wide range of artists and producers including Antony Hegarty (Antony and the Johnsons), Björk, Brian Eno, David Bowie-era personnel, and electronic producers associated with Warp Records and 4AD Records. Compositional partnerships include work with Philip Glass, orchestral arrangements by conductors affiliated with the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, and production contributions from members of Arcade Fire, The National, LCD Soundsystem, Sufjan Stevens, and James Blake. She has contributed vocals and songwriting to projects by filmmakers and composers such as Jóhann Jóhannsson, Jonny Greenwood, Alexandre Desplat, and to benefit compilations organized by Amnesty International and Greenpeace. Labels and curators from Mute Records, Rough Trade Records, XL Recordings, and Domino Recording Company have released or promoted her recordings and related editions.

Personal life and activism

Anohni is publicly engaged in activism around transgender rights, climate change, and animal welfare, participating in events organized by Human Rights Campaign, Stonewall, Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion, and PETA. She has spoken at conferences and forums connected to TED, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and arts-policy panels at institutions such as The New School and Harvard University. Personal networks and friendships include figures from music and art scenes like Annie Lennox, Joan Baez, Yoko Ono, Angela Davis, and Naomi Klein, and she has endorsed political campaigns and initiatives supported by organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Her public positions have been documented in interviews with outlets like The New Yorker, BBC Radio 4, NPR, and The Independent.

Category:Transgender musicians Category:British singers