Ania Soul

I enjoy soulful music; it’s not my first choice of music to listen to, but when I do, I am reminded of how beautiful and inspiring it truly is.

Ania Soul is just that: soulful. She is a versatile new artist from Toronto and her tone is raspy, rich and sooting, all at once. If you are a fan of soul, then Ania won’t disappoint you.

Each song I have had the chance to listen to, so far, has been a story from her life, straight from the heart. Her lyrics are very passionate and meaningful; one can really tell how much heart and soul Ania puts into writing/singing her music.

The majority of her music seems slow and sad, but if you take a good listen, you will find a lot of uplifting and inspiring lyrics within them. Her track, called ‘Eagle’, is a more alternative soul song. It starts off slow but builds to a surprising electric guitar rift at the end.

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One of her latest tracks, called ‘Over You’, might be one of my favourites. This song starts off with a surprising little drum spatter and scratching that is injected throughout the song. This track is catchy and empowering for anyone trying to get over a break-up.

“Over You is a love song,” Ania says. “Don’t be fooled. In celebration of having the courage to move on – to experience a higher love. Your capacity to love just gets bigger the more you make tough decisions that need to be made.

“When you let go, you have more room to receive what you need. . . What’s right for you.”

The music Video for ‘Over You‘ was recently released on her YouTube channel, so make sure you check it out!

For more on Ania Soul, visit aniasoul.com, and listen to some of her music below! - RazMataz Magazine ...music almost famous -by Carly Haneke-Hobbs • July 22, 2013

New in Toronto Music: Lights, Still Life Still, Ania Soul, 4th Pyramid, Hugs Not Drugs

Posted by Eric Boshart / May 1, 2013

ANIA SOUL/ OVER YOU / APRIL 15TH
How lucky is it that such a soulful singer has the last name SOUL! I find the idea of a higher power abhorrent, but but one can't deny the freakydeekyness of this. You can ask Ania if Soul is her real name during her headlingling show at the Mod Club for NXNE of June 15th. - Blog To

Ania Soul Releases New Single “Over You” produced by King Luck (Jesse Labelle and Anna Cyzon). This is the first single off her anticipated debut album, The Truth.

Listen here

This new track has an infectious sound rooted in hip-hop mixed with an alternative pop edge . Recorded in Toronto at River Works Studio, the song was influenced by personal experience and is riddled with Ania’s music influences such as Solange, Lauryn Hill, and Feist.

As Ania herself describes

“it’s a love song in celebration of having the courage to move on from relationships that no longer serve us. When we choose better,our capacity to love gets bigger.”

Ania is Known for singing with popular events band the St. Royals, she has showcased to great reviews at local festivals NXNE, CMW and Manifesto; blew the roof off the Drake Hotel as a featured artist for their 2012 New Year’s Eve masquerade; sang to a packed house at the Trane Studio for her Nina Simone Tribute show.

This new single will be available on iTunes. The Truth will be out this fall. - Manifesto blog April 22, 2013

As part of our continuing coverage of One Fire Movement and NXNE, we caught up with Ania Soul on MUSIC+ ...

Josh: Since we last saw you at One fire Movement's We are On event back in October of 2012, what have you been up to?

Ania: My focus is always to become a better artist, so to contribute to that desire I have been collaborating with other artists, songwriting and meditating on what my next movements will be in my artist journey; as I am constantly defining and re-defining myself as an artist to myself and in the matrix.

J: Being very active in the community and local music scene, how do you balance that with your own music?

A: It can be easy at times and challenging to balance it all. But my intention is everything that I have my hands in should complement and contribute to my artistic vision, so I am enjoying the journey more than anything.

J: Where do you find inspiration?

A: I find inspiration in my life experiences on a daily, my relationship with myself and others or lack of… but it really is this life and people. It fuels creativity for me constantly and I cannot escape that truth.

J: Before you perform a show, do you any rituals that you go through?

A: Well I tell myself I am going to have an amazing show and that usually helps and I need to say it out loud! And then of course is vocal warm-ups and focus on breath… moments of silence are great for me too right before I go on stage, that’s my grounding before the music hits me.
J: Which song do you enjoy performing the most?

A: I usually love performing Matchbox Girl, I just released a YouTube video of that song. It’s those songs that evoke a lot of emotion in me and the listener that I really get hypnotized by when I perform it… my physical body is there playing and singing the song but at the same time I’ve left the room.

J: Which venue do you feel most at home performing at?

A: I’ve played a lot of showcases at The Drake Hotel with the St. Royals, the events band that I sing with so that’s been a great venue for me… and then there’s my living room.

J: How did you get involved with One fire Movement?

A: I’ve had the honor of knowing Tony Roost (who cultivated One Fire Movement) for many years now and he has always had a heart of gold for the community and an excitement about my music. He shared with me his idea for One Fire Movement and asked me to be a part of the compilation CD to support Nellie’s Women’s Shelter and that was an opportunity I loved but was hesitant at first because I can be a little insecure about my original music at times, but Tony believed in me and so it was a great opportunity for me to crack my shell and support an amazing cause! It became that much more affirming when I sang at Nellie’s Women’s shelter for Mother’s day which was uplifting for the mother’s there and myself.

J: What was it like working on such a big project with so many artists?

A: I enjoyed every moment of this project so far. It was meant to be because everything seemed to come together so effortlessly and collaborating is what I’m fueled by this year so it’s been a wonderful experience so far.

J: What songs can we look forward to hearing from you Saturday night?

A: I released a single a month ago called Over You, produced by King Luck as well as Matchbox Girl and a few more that I have yet to play live. It will be a great singer songwriter showcase for sure!

J: What can fans look forward to over the next few months?

A: A music video release for the single Over You, an album and my ever evolving self as an artist.

Ania will be performing at the Mod Club on Saturday June 15th for One Fire Movements CD Launch party at NXNE. You can connect with Ania on Facebook and Twitter. - InTune Magazine by Editor Josh Skinner

The second coming of Soul

Songstress Ania Soul brings the groove back to T.O.

BY: AFRO P

In a city where rock is king and the most popular clubs blast techno and dance into the wee hours of the night, soul music has always had a tenuous existence. Canada's early-'60s and '70s immigrants from the US and Caribbean brought with them the sounds of soul music which satisfied the hunger of music fans who craved Aretha Franklin wannabes and the smooth Motown groove.

More than four decades later, Toronto is still a city that is reluctant to embrace the power of soul music. But through her music, T.O. artist and resident Ania Soul is intent on making soul supreme in this city. Ania says she found her love of soul in western Canada: "I can say my first introduction to soul music was in the church. I was born in Toronto and moved to Edmonton when I was eight. My mom became an ordained minister so I spent a lot of time at her ministry. I grew up as a singer in her church. I moved back to Toronto in 1999 and started going to places to see some local artists perform. I recall going to Lava on College to see Divine Brown and Jully Black."

Catching the sparse soul offerings in the city energized Ania to start performing in local clubs. She soon became a mainstay at live music nights where her daring interpretations left crowds mesmerized.

"I'm not afraid to express different styles of soul or to have people express to me what their style of soul is. There are now a few other soul artists in the city. If you check out Myspace or other sites like that, you see a lot of soul performers based in Toronto — the vibe is changing and soul is making a comeback."

Ania is looking forward to the release of her debut album, which features collaborations with a few emerging music groups that fuses soul, R&B and reggae.

"There are a lot of stories and experiences in my new album. Soul is at the centre, but there are definitely some spiritual and secular vibes a well. My album is coming out next summer and it will be a real representation of Toronto's new soul movement.

To find out more about Ania and her new album, visit: myspace.com/aniasoul

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- Sway Magazine