Anna Graceman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anna Graceman
Anna Graceman performing at the Pilgrimage Festival in September 2016
Background information
Born	Juneau, Alaska, U.S.
Origin	Southeast Alaska, U.S.
Genres	Folk, rock, soul
Occupation(s)	Musician, entertainer, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar bass guitar
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Another Girl Records/DistroKid

Anna Graceman is an American singer, songwriter, and recording artist. She writes her own songs and music. Her work has become well-known across the country. Anna has appeared on famous shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show, America's Got Talent, and CBS News.

On June 1, 2020, Anna was on NBC's show Songland. This show helps songwriters get their music heard. Famous musicians like Ryan Tedder, Shane McAnally, and Ester Dean were on the show. The episode also featured singer Bebe Rexha. Bebe Rexha liked Anna's song so much that she combined it with another contestant's song. This new song won the episode! Bebe Rexha recorded the song, and NBC used it to promote the Tokyo Olympics.

Anna Graceman released her latest album, The Way The Night Behaves, on May 29, 2020.

Early Life and Music Journey

Anna Graceman was born in Juneau, Alaska. Her mom stayed at home and played classical music for Anna even before she was born. When Anna was just three months old, her parents used flashcards to help her learn words. This helped her love for writing music grow. By the time she was 18 months old, she knew the words to many classical and modern songs. At age two, Anna was already brave enough to sing in front of people.

When she was four, Anna could play the piano very well. At six years old, she wrote her first song, called "So I Cried". Anna has shared that her family was not rich when she was growing up in Alaska. Their mini-van did not have a working radio or CD player. So, her mom would sing to her during car rides. Driving time became singing time for them.

In 2011, when Anna was 11, she became much more famous. This happened because of her performances on the sixth season of America's Got Talent. In 2013, she performed 43 shows over eight weeks at The Palazzo Theater in The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. Her performances there received great praise.

Anna Graceman is very popular online. Her videos on YouTube have been watched over 150 million times in total. Her America's Got Talent audition video alone has more than 35 million views. In 2012, Disney asked Anna if they could use her early YouTube videos. You can find them in the video section of Disney's website.

In April 2013, Anna Graceman was named a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Famous songwriters like Tom Waits and Jeff Beck were among the judges. In 2014, Anna Graceman moved to Nashville, Tennessee. She wanted to focus on writing songs and working with musicians there.

In September 2016, Relix Magazine wrote about Anna. They said that even though she had a very busy childhood, she stayed true to herself. She always remembered where she came from and how her music journey began.

Anna as a Singer and Songwriter

From ages 6 to 16, Anna Graceman wrote, released, and performed 70 of her own songs. Many of these were released as singles or on her albums. She writes both the words and the music for all her songs. She usually only sings and performs her own original material. Almost all of her known songs have been shared by her on her YouTube and SoundCloud channels.

Major Performances and TV Shows

Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

On October 7, 2009, Anna Graceman appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She sang an original song she wrote called "Paradise". Ellen loved her performance. Anna said her family had been putting videos on YouTube since April 2008. She uploaded "Paradise" in August 2009. Someone at YouTube noticed her video and decided to feature her among other young musicians. After watching Anna's "Paradise" video, Ellen invited her to sing it on the show. Anna said it was a lot of fun and a great experience. During that show, Ellen invited her back to meet Taylor Swift on a future episode.

Performing at the Alaska Folk Festival

On April 20, 2010, Anna performed at the yearly Alaska Folk Festival. She played alongside other folk and bluegrass bands. A local reviewer said that young and talented performers often stole the show. They felt like they were watching Juneau's version of "Who's Got Talent". This was especially true when 10-year-old Anna Graceman sang all her original songs.

Journey on America's Got Talent

In the summer of 2011, Anna competed on America's Got Talent Season Six. For her audition, Anna sang "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys. She played the keyboard while singing. All three judges, Howie Mandel, Piers Morgan, and Sharon Osbourne, gave her a standing ovation. Her audition video became very popular online and got a lot of attention from the news. The video received over 28 million views on YouTube, which was the most for any America's Got Talent audition video at that time.

In the Vegas round, Anna performed "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele, again playing the keyboard. In the quarterfinals, she sang "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. The judges all praised her, and she got enough votes to move to the semi-finals. For the semi-finals, she sang "Home Sweet Home" by Mötley Crüe while playing the piano. This earned her another standing ovation from the judges and a spot in the Top 10. As the competition got harder, Anna tried something different. She sang "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper. This was the first time on the show she performed without her keyboard. She did not make it to the finals.

Las Vegas Shows

From October 28–30, 2011, Anna Graceman was part of America's Got Talent Live at Caesars Palace Colosseum. She performed with other popular acts from season six. Caesars Palace asked her to return to the Colosseum for the New Year's Eve concert that year.

From February 25, 2013, Anna performed at the Palazzo Theatre in the Venetian for seven weeks, doing 43 shows. Famous reporter Robin Leach watched her and wrote about her performance. He said that Anna, who was only 13, was an amazing new star. He praised her singing, piano playing, and songwriting skills. He said she was a "giant talent" and predicted she would one day headline her own shows in Las Vegas.

Other Notable Appearances

In June 2014, DJ Lulleaux, a music producer from the Netherlands, released a remix of Anna's song Words. As of 2020, it was his most popular song on SoundCloud, with 2.62 million plays.

On August 28, 2014, Anna Graceman performed at the first YouTube Music Night in Los Angeles. This event took place at the YouTubeSpaceLA facilities. On October 29, 2014, she also performed at the first YouTube Music Night in Nashville, Tennessee. This event was held at the Pinewood Social Event Center.

On September 21, 2016, Anna Graceman and her band 'Graceman' appeared on NBC. They were promoting the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival. On September 25, 2016, Anna Graceman and the Graceman band performed at the second annual Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin, Tennessee. Many famous artists were also there. The festival was produced by Kevin Griffin and Justin Timberlake. Anna Graceman also appeared on NBC WSMV TV in Nashville to promote the festival. About 30,000 people attended the festival over two days.

On June 1, 2020, Anna was on the TV show Songland on NBC. Singer Bebe Rexha chose Anna's song, combined with another contestant's, as the winning song for the episode.

Another Girl Records

Anna Graceman records her music for her own independent record label. It is called Another Girl Records. This means she releases her music herself.

The Graceman Band

Anna, Allie, and Landon Graceman, 2016

Anna Graceman performs with The Graceman Band. This band is a trio that includes her younger siblings, Allie and Landon Graceman. Relix Magazine mentioned that Anna, who was 16 at the time, writes and produces all her own songs. Over the past few years, she brought her younger brother and sister into the band. On October 4, 2016, Anna Graceman released the band's first full album, called ‘Rebel Days’. Anna Graceman wrote and produced this album.

The band's music style mixes folk, soul, and rock. The members of the band are:

• Anna Graceman – She plays piano, keyboards, and bass, and sings.
• Allie Graceman – She plays guitar and sings.
• Landon Graceman – He plays drums and other percussion instruments.

Anna as a Music Producer

Since the beginning of 2014, Anna Graceman has produced all the music she has released. This includes songs like "Speak to Me", "Living in Denial", "High Places", "Already Fallin", "IDK", "Miles Away", "Poison", "Never Meant to Me", "Leap of Faith", "Blink", "Heartbreaking Truth", and "Remember", "Rain". She also produced the full 'Graceman' album "Rebel Days". She has worked with many talented musicians on her songs.

Musical Inspirations

Anna Graceman says that Ann Wilson (from the band Heart), Amy Winehouse, and Adele are her main musical inspirations.

Studio Albums