Anna Catharina's new single, "Chico," is a song you feel. The 24-year-old artist delivers a breezy and deeply attuned song, a blend of modern pop sounds, and a cross-continental story that hits close to home. With "Chico," Anna isn't serving yet another love song. She's curating a narrative of connection, yearning, and the magic (and messiness) of falling in love with someone from a different universe.
"Chico" draws you in with its dark, rhythmic, fluid, and unpredictable pulse, like the romance it describes. Anna's vocals have a hazy quality, wafting over a warm and danceable beat that nonetheless has an air of wistfulness. It's a song to dance along to but also a song to contemplate. With her Bulgarian-Austrian roots, Anna writes lyrics that feel personal and universal, talking about the give-and-take of love that could overcome language differences and cultural ones.
"Chico" is unpindownable. It's pop, but there's something more there: a wisp of European folk nostalgia, a flicker of Latin warmth, and a rhythmic play that keeps it from heading into the predictable. This blend makes Anna original, showing that she's an artist with a unique sound and something real to say.
Anna is just as visually interesting. Visually, the "Chico" music video is a fittingly gorgeous cinematic complement to "Chico." Its subjects play off one another, love and fear contrasting against one another with bright yet haunting imagery and striking aesthetics. It makes every frame feel like it matters, much like the song it accompanies.
With just two singles out, Anna Catharina is already entering a space that's all her own. "Chico" is a statement of what's ahead. And if this is only the tip of the iceberg, the future seems promising.