Project Description

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SANNIA
The Workers Club
1st December 2021
(Live Review)

Review, Interview and Live Photos by Darren Chan

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Praise for SANNIA

“Good things take time. Rightly so – it’s been worth the wait between releases for Melbourne’s SANNIA who has seemingly spent the last year and a bit adding a penthouse level to her already towering stature as a vocalist. This track looms above with a soaring presence and won’t let go of my attention. 4 stars” – Dave Ruby Howe, Triple J Unearthed,

“Sannia has crafted this one to perfection. you create an emotional connection early then i was basically under your command for that swirling, building second half of the song. 4.5 stars” – Declan Byrne,Triple j 

“okay go off, these vocals are insane! really love the storyline of the track and the build on this one is really something. 4 stars.” – Ash McGregor, Triple j

“Absolute gorgeous track from Sannia here. The vocals, the production. the lyrics. That beat switch up at the tail end of the track is other worldly.” – Dave Woodhead, Triple j

“What a commanding debut and guac damn, that note at 1:25. Can we just take a moment here!” – Bridget Hustwaite, Triple j

“Sannia’s finally found a track with the production to match the scale of her voice (well… as close as any can come). One for anyone in a relationship they’re just not sure about.” – Tommy Faith, Triple j Unearthed

“she shines a proper light on authentic and emotion-backed songwriting that feels like something real…” – Pilerats

“…retaining the emotion of her previous single while introducing bigger, bolder – and somewhat more upbeat – sonic territory.” – Music Feeds

“Sannia is on track to be one of the biggest names in Australian music” – Tyler Jenke, Tone Deaf

‘Love You Like’: “The song is a glorious, melancholic telling of the age old story of falling in love with the wrong person and having your heart broken in the process” – Women in Pop

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After almost two years since her last performance, singer songwriter sensation Sannia returns to the stage launching her single “Sad Bad Girls”, on the ramp-up to more music being released. 

During the numerous pandemic lockdowns in Melbourne, Sannia took this forced hiatus to write music and establish a fresh live sound with a full band. Her rescheduled single launch from July was a welcome return of live music as fans eagerly waited at the Workers Club with excitement and expectation. 

With the sold-out crowd cheering and clapping, Sannia made her entrance onstage with a light-hearted remark about the hailstorm and flood that day trying to hold her back. But clearly, there was no stopping her.

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With her new band consisting of Nick Robinson on drums, Jason Rodi on guitar, and Sean Close on bass, Sannia effortlessly launched into the first song “Trigger”. Then halfway through vocally belting it out – letting us know that live music has returned! We got to hear and experience some new songs, “Orbit” ,”August”, and her latest single “Sad Rich Girls”. These pop songs were interlaced with strong melodies and hooks so there was a sense of familiarity and connection to the first time listener.

Sannia provided slightly modified arrangements on her recorded songs – adding dynamics and edginess that encouraged Sannia’s incredible vocal ability and performance. Sannia seemed to relax into the show and take things in her stride. 

The gradual sonic build of “Circles” led to Sannia displaying her musicianship with intricate keyboard lines. Then, stripped back to just the piano, Sannia sang “Doubts” with rawness and power that is reminiscent of Adele’s vocal quality, in between casually laughing off perhaps the only minor musical hiccup of the night. 

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It was great hearing the backstory to “The Good Ones”, a song recorded just before the pandemic hit Australia in 2020. This song certainly deserved being a finalist in the Nashville International Songwriting Competition. The audience was captivated when Sannia’s voice hit the higher register in the chorus  “I thought that you were the good ones” followed by a vocal run in unison with the electric guitar.

With a “Yeah baby” and a pump of ventolin, Sannia revealed her other new song “Awake” which had the crowd bobbing along. The music goes into an even more upbeat vibe with the catchy song “Travelling” and ripping guitar solo outro from Jason Rodi. Following up the break-up pop song “Go and Get Over”, Sannia’s impressive vocal run in the chorus (inspired from a vocal exercise) each had the crowd screaming, singing along and fists pumping. 

Sannia launched into her sentimental favourite “Daylight”, the crowd were mesmerised as the song built anticipation. During the guitar solo, she pushed her powerhouse vocals further than the recorded version, encouraging everyone to sing along to the outro “I thought I would know by now, the words to say”.

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Sharing about Amy Winehouse’s toxic relationships was the theme for the next hook-laden tune “Love You Like”. The build up to the bridge got the crowd dancing. This was the last song of the night, but everyone wanted more.  In a spontaneous moment, Sannia starting playing a moving rendition of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever”, her own interpretation sounding like it was her song. 

From the outset, Sannia is a versatile artist with finely honed songwriting skills supported by impressive vocal and musical abilities. Whilst many artists are still discovering who they are, Sannia exudes confidence and creative maturity that establishes her as a creative force and performer to be reckoned with. Do yourself a favour and support her upcoming shows and her music.

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Darren also got to ask
SANNIA
a few questions on the night

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Has the pandemic impacted you on a personal and creative level?  If so, how has this influenced your songwriting and ability to produce music?
In terms of productivity I’d say I was actually able to write more, I had a lot more time on my hands to create music but with the lack of work – I work 4 casual positions – I wasn’t able to fund myself to create bigger projects like music videos or live recordings until the beginning of 2021. I’m a hermit at the best of times so staying home wasn’t an issue, but not being able to fully develop my ideas for a long time did start to affect me emotionally towards the end of that 112 day lockdown. 

When are you releasing more music? Will there be a particular theme or story you are conveying with it? 
There’s a whole album ready to go, but I’ve been told to take it slow and release a few singles first. As for a theme I wish I could say there’s a beautiful, intentional overarching theme but all I could say is they’re all linked by the human condition; feelings of love, loss, anger, because I write from a very personal place. I hope I can release all the songs you’ll hear tonight as soon as possible!!

How did your new single “Sad Rich Girls” come about? 
It was the straw that broke the camel’s back on a lifetime of lived experiences where I’ve observed some women preferring to sledge other women to get ahead rather than supporting them. 

How has your live sound evolved since 2019? What influenced these changes? 
I’d say whether or not it was because I needed an outlet during the whirlwind that was 2020, my music has become a lot more upbeat, in your face, probably more guitar driven and leaning towards pop rock rather than indie ballad these days. I spent a lot of last year listening to Phoebe Bridgers, HAIM and Sam Fender and I think that’s definitely coming through in these new tunes. 

What are you hoping audiences will experience when they come to your show? 
An emotional connection. I’m always humbled by people feeling seen or heard by my music – often someone will have a completely different situation associated with my lyrics than the place I was writing from, and so the songs become really personal, they become theirs – a room full of 100 people will relate to a lyric in a completely unique way and that is incredible to me. It’s my favourite thing about performing live, that human connection between total strangers stemming from music. 

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Follow SANNIA
Official Website – Facebook – Twitter
Instagram – YouTube – Triple J Unearthed

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AMNPLIFY – DB