There’s a cosmic truth behind annie omalley’s new song, ‘Planet Golden.’ We have the EXCLUSIVE premiere of her track, and she talks its ‘theme,’ her upcoming EP, and when she knew she wanted to be a ‘rock star.’
The stars have aligned for annie omalley. At nineteen years old, the young songwriter is building quite a buzz for her on her independently released single, “Chase Me Down.” No need to chase down her new song, as HollywoodLife has the premiere of her track, “Planet Golden.” The enchanting track spans galaxies, weaving these heavenly images to spin a song about letting go of past baggage, of letting “gravity” bring you down back to earth.
As part of “Planet Golden,” annie spoke with HollywoodLife about working with Johnny K of Plain White T’s on her upcoming album, what it was like playing for 20,000 people, and when she knew she was destined to be a musician.
HollywoodLife: “Planet Golden” is such a warm-feeling song, which is great since the weather is starting to get cold. What can you tell us about this song?
annie omalley: I wrote “Planet Golden” while I was trying to accept a certain situation that wasn’t ideal. I needed to learn how to accept something you can’t change and leave it behind in the past. I often use themes when I write music. For this song, I used ‘space’ because it has so much mystery and opportunity, and it’s endless. My favorite line in this song is “I’m boundless” because it’s so simple but is so powerful. The word boundless can be used to describe space but also how we are as humans.
You first sparked a buzz last year with “Chase Me Down,” but your story started long before that. When did you start playing music?
Growing up, I was around music constantly. My dad loves alternative, rock, singer/songwriter, country, and more. My mom loves dance, house, disco, and funk. My life has been very music-oriented from the very beginning. The first time I showed an interest in music was at nine months old. My parents and I were on vacation, and they had a piano in the hotel lobby. They held me up in front of it just out of curiosity to see how I would respond.
I started banging on the keys and screaming and continued for an hour. I never lost interest, and it was like I already had known what the piano was for and that I was supposed to sing with it. At two, I was memorizing songs like “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones. By five, I was begging my parents to record in a studio and was mesmerized by the idea of being a “rock star.”
You have a debut EP coming. What can we expect when this project drops?
I am very excited for the EP for many reasons, one being that it is all written by me. I started writing music when I was eight. Ever since then, writing all my music has been something that comes with who I am, and I am extremely proud of it. It’s so powerful being able to sing about what I believe in and my honest thoughts. One of the songs on the EP was one of my first songs that really stuck. I wrote it at 14, and it’s about someone being like a drug and needing to be sober. It sounds dramatic, and I’m not sure who was breaking my little heart back then, but the lyrics are so raw and honest.
How was it to work with Johnny K of Plain White T’s?
Johnny K produced my EP, and it was so fun. He was so excited to hear all the songs I had written and had such a great spirit. He has such great passion and love for his job, and we relate in that way. I think it went beautifully.
You opened for Chicago. I wouldn’t think that a lot of 19-year-olds would be into the long-running classic rock band. How was that?
My parents made sure to expose me and my four younger siblings to many different genres and generations of music. Opening for Chicago was one of the coolest experiences. The first night I played in front of 20,000 people, and the idea of being nervous didn’t even cross my mind.
I immediately fell in love with the audience and their energy. The band is so talented, and I watched the show beginning to end every night of the tour. They would even stand backstage and watch me perform, and that meant the world to me. I would love more than anything to headline my own tour. That is the goal.
Who would you like to open up for next? Or is your next goal doing a headlining tour of your own?
I would love to open for anyone to be completely honest. I just love being on stage.
“Planet Golden” is out now.