ANNA on Energy, Time Off, and the Long View of an Artist’s Life

After two decades on major stages around the world, ANNA is entering a different phase of her work, one with a broader frame for what sound can do. Her recent output still holds the force and connection people know from her sets, though it also opens into ambient work, reflection, and a closer look at presence, intuition, and the internal side of creation. That shift is set against a packed festival schedule and the release of Intentions, her debut ambient album featuring Jon Hopkins, Laraaji, and East Forest.

This interview stays with the personal systems behind that kind of evolution. Instead of focusing on gear or release mechanics, it moves through energy, pacing, recovery, solitude, and the discipline required to keep creating over a long stretch of time. What comes through in her answers is a calm, direct understanding of sustainability.

She speaks about rest as a requirement, not a reward, and about intention as something practical that shapes daily decisions, creative direction, and the people you stay close to. In a field that often rewards constant motion, that perspective gives this in depth discussion a lane all its own.

Interview With ANNA

What have you had to learn the hard way when it comes to managing your energy as a DJ?

I’ve learned that managing my energy is everything. For anyone, really, but especially as a DJ. With touring, constant travel, how demanding the work is physically and mentally, and being around so many people all the time, so exposed, if you don’t take care of yourself, it catches up with you.

Over time, I started thinking about energy management in a much more grounded way, almost like pillars. The first one is physical. If my body isn’t well, nothing else really works. The body is the vessel for my life and for my work. Then there’s the more subtle side, mental, emotional, and spiritual. For me, that’s about staying connected, being present, listening to my intuition, staying in a creative flow, and being aware of my intentions. It’s also about paying attention to what’s actually driving me beneath my thoughts and emotions.

When those two are in harmony, everything else becomes much clearer.

How do you personally define “sustainable” when it comes to your career – emotionally, financially, or creatively?

For me, something is only sustainable when it flows.

And flow means flexibility, transformation, and evolution. That’s how I define sustainability in my career. For a long time, I tried to push through using more energy than I actually had. But you can’t sustain anything like that. It’s the same with money: if you spend more than you earn, you end up in debt. So I’ve learned to be much more mindful and respectful of my own limits, my intentions, my essence. When it comes to emotional sustainability, it’s really about being centered so emotions don’t start running the show.

Creativity is the one exception; the more I use it, the more I have. Sustaining my creativity means staying in constant creation, but in a way that reflects my journey, and adds my experiences beyond the studio and the stage. to my music.

What’s something you used to say yes to that you’ve learned to say no to now?

People who aren’t aligned with my energy, requests that don’t match my values, and situations that don’t feel right for where I’m heading.

How do you recharge in between shows or tours in a way that feels real, not performative?

I love my rituals.

I meditate, I reconnect with my intentions, I play my sacred instruments, and I create music that helps me heal, restore, recharge, and reconnect. I also try to eat well, exercise, sleep properly, and spend time by myself, studying, learning and in silence.

Have you ever felt pressure to match the pace of others in the scene? How did you handle it?

Yes, all the time. Who doesn’t?

In any scene, in any industry. It often feels like we’re constantly moving slower than the rest of the world.

When I really felt at the edge, I took a break. I paused for a while so I could find my rhythm again and recalibrate a route that actually made sense to me. It was scary, but totally worth it. I couldn’t recommend it more. You really have to be brave and intentional with your life if you want to make your vision happen.

What’s your relationship with time off – can you take it guilt-free?

My relationship with time off has completely changed over the years.
Over time, I’ve really learned how my energy system works, and I now understand that taking time off is essential for me. It’s not something I “deserve” after working hard, it’s something I require in order to work in a meaningful way.
I need space to recharge and reconnect so I can create from a true place. That time allows me to enter stillness , and stillness is where my creativity is born. It’s where I listen to myself again, where I reconnect to what’s deeper than the constant external noise.

I’m not someone who operates in high energy all the time. I restore myself through solitude, through nature, through being fully present with my own thoughts and inner world. That’s how I refill.
When I give myself that space, I return to touring and creating much stronger, clearer, and more aligned.

And for me, being centered is especially important because I create such different kinds of offerings , from dance music to sound healing. If I want my work to be impactful, it has to come from a place of truth and alignment. The only way I can access that is by pausing. By listening. By taking time for myself.
So today, time off is not a luxury. It’s non-negotiable.

If someone asked you how to pace themselves for a decade-long career, what would you actually say?

Be intentional.

Whatever you do, wherever you feel like you want to get to in ten years, it doesn’t matter, it will probably change many times anyway.

So be intentional of what you are doing, why you are doing, how you are doing and who you are doing it with. It’s very easy to get lost along the way, to feel rushed by these insanely fast times we are living, but creativity comes from inspiration and inspiration is sacred, magical. You have to be present and aware to catch it, to receive it. And you have to be among people who are moving in the same direction as you are so you can trust and count on them. People who care about you, and who shares your vision.

The journey will require hard work and sacrifices, so be kind and trust. Never lose faith.