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. Her original songs and music have become well-known across the country. She has been featured on famous shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show, America's Got Talent, and CBS News.

In 2020, Anna appeared on NBC's show Songland. This show helps songwriters get their music heard by famous artists. Recording artist Bebe Rexha chose a song that combined Anna's work with another contestant's. This winning song was used by NBC to promote the Tokyo Olympics.

Anna 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 played classical music for her even before she was born. When Anna was just three months old, her parents used flashcards to help her learn words. This early start helped her love writing music. By 18 months, she knew the words to many songs. At age two, Anna was already brave enough to sing for crowds.

Discovering Her Talents

Anna could play the piano very well by the time she was four. At six years old, she wrote her first song, called "So I Cried". Anna has shared that her family was not wealthy when she was growing up in Alaska. Their minivan didn't have a working radio or CD player. So, her mom would sing to her during car rides. This made driving time into singing time!

Rising to Fame

In 2011, when Anna was 11, she became much more famous. This happened because of her amazing 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 shows there received great reviews.

Anna also has a huge presence online. Her videos on YouTube have been watched over 150 million times in total. Her America's Got Talent audition video alone had over 35 million views by 2013. In 2012, Disney asked to use her early original YouTube videos. You can find them in the video section of Disney's website.

In April 2013, Anna 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 her songwriting and work with musicians there.

In 2016, Relix Magazine wrote about Anna. They said that even with all her success, she has stayed true to herself. She always remembers where she came from and how her journey began.

Singer and Songwriter

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

Major Appearances and Performances

Early TV and Festival Shows

• October 7, 2009 – Ellen: Anna 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 2008. She uploaded "Paradise" in August 2009. Someone at YouTube noticed her video and featured her among other child musicians. After seeing her "Paradise" video, Ellen invited her to sing it on the show. Anna said it was a lot of fun. Ellen even invited her back to meet Taylor Swift on another show.
• April 20, 2010 – 36th Alaska Folk Festival: Anna performed at this yearly festival with other folk and bluegrass bands. A local reviewer said that young and talented performers often stole the show. They especially mentioned 10-year-old Anna Graceman singing her original songs.

America's Got Talent Journey

• Summer, 2011 – America's Got Talent Season Six: For her audition, Anna sang "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys. She played the keyboard herself. All three judges, Howie Mandel, Piers Morgan, and Sharon Osbourne, gave her a standing ovation. Her audition video became very popular online and was noticed by the news. It got over 28 million views on YouTube, more than any other America's Got Talent audition video at the 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" (Louis Armstrong). The judges all praised her, and she got enough votes to move to the semi-finals.
• Her performance of "Home Sweet Home" (Mötley Crüe), where she played her own music, earned her another standing ovation. This put her in the Top 10.
• As the competition got harder, Anna tried something different. She sang "True Colors" (Cyndi Lauper) without her keyboard for the first time on the show. She did not make it to the finals, but she had a great run!

Post-AGT Performances

• October 28–30, 2011 – Caesars Palace Colosseum: Anna was part of America's Got Talent Live. She performed with other favorite acts from season six. Caesars Palace asked her to come back for their New Year's Eve concert that year.
• February 25, 2013 – Palazzo-Venetian Theater Residency: Anna performed at the Palazzo Theatre for seven weeks, doing 43 shows. Famous reporter Robin Leach watched her and wrote about her amazing talent. He said she sang like Alicia Keys, played piano like Elton John, and wrote songs like Adele and Taylor Swift. He called her a "giant talent."
• June 2014 – DJ Lulleaux Remix: DJ Lulleaux, a music producer from the Netherlands, released a remixed version of Anna's song Words. By 2020, it was his most popular song on SoundCloud, with over 2.62 million plays.
• August 28, 2014 – Inaugural YouTube Music Night in Los Angeles: Anna performed at the first YouTube Music Night in Los Angeles. This event was held at the YouTubeSpaceLA studios.
• October 29, 2014 – Inaugural YouTube Music Night in Nashville, Tennessee: Anna also performed at the first YouTube Music Night in Nashville.
• September 21 & 25, 2016 – Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival: Anna Graceman appeared on NBC with her band 'Graceman' to promote this festival. She and her band performed at the second annual Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin, Tennessee. Many famous artists were there, and about 30,000 people attended the festival over two days.

Another Girl Records

Anna Graceman records her music for her own independent music label. It is called Another Girl Records. This means she has a lot of control over her own music.

Graceman Band

Anna, Allie, and Landon Graceman, 2016

Anna performs with The Graceman Band. This group 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. She brought her siblings into the band, which they named 'Graceman'. On October 4, 2016, Anna Graceman released the band's first full album, called ‘Rebel Days’. Anna wrote and produced this album.

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

• Anna Graceman – plays piano, keyboards, bass, and sings
• Allie Graceman – plays guitar and sings
• Landon Graceman – plays drums and percussion

Musical Influences

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

Studio Albums