Anna Aya is ready to become your favorite new crossover star.
Treating listeners with her new single “Hit Me With Your Love” – out today – Aya channels her Japanese roots with an authentic fusion of Western flourishes. Blending sparkling, glittering synth moments with a mellow pop beat helmed by Louis Bell and Michael Africk, the cute vibes within the production offsets perfectly with the hard-edged lyrical themes of infatuation and empowerment. “Your actions speak louder than words. You think you’re worth my time? You want me in your life? Show me what you’re all about!” Aya said of “Hit Me With Your Love” in a press statement.
Cementing herself as a definitive one to watch in global pop, music fans will have seen Aya exclusively performing “Hit Me With Your Love” for The GRAMMYs earlier this month, in a video produced and directed by Golden Globe winning and Academy & BAFTA nominated Shannon McIntosh – a remarkable feat considering this is just her second official single.
With so much buzz already forming, “Hit Me With Your Love” is set to continue Anna Aya’s trajectory as a new global pop force who fans won’t want to forget. Celebrating the release of “Hit Me With Your Love”, Aya had a quick chat with us about the new single and her mission to bring J-Pop to the masses – read on for more.
SheBOPS: Congratulations on the release of your new single, “Hit Me With Your Love”! Can you share more about the inspiration behind the song and its message?
Anna Aya: This song was written by Louis Bell and Michael Africk, so I wasn’t super involved with the initial creative process. But when I heard the song, aside from it being so catchy, I resonated with the lyrics and then added my Japanese lyrics to help tell the story in some of my own words. To me, “Hit Me With Your Love” embodies the strength of a woman who knows what she’s worth. Your actions have to speak louder than your words. If you want to be in my life, you have to show me you’re worth my time! I think a lot of people can relate to a song like this at some point in their life.
Could you walk us through your creative process when writing and recording “Hit Me With Your Love”?
“Hit Me With Your Love” feels like a classic, fun pop song to me and I wanted to add my own touch by writing and singing some Japanese lyrics that make the song new and interesting.
The lyrics emphasize the importance of actions over words in relationships. How did you come to adopt this perspective, and why is it significant to you?
I believe actions are louder than words, because without seeing clear actions, the intentions aren’t clear.
“Hit Me With Your Love” blends English and Japanese lyrics seamlessly. What inspired you to create bilingual music, and how does this choice contribute to the song’s impact?
Introducing the world to J-Pop inspired me to use my bilingual skills in my songs.
Your music embodies both the fun pop sound from the U.S. and the emotional depth of Japanese music. How do you balance these influences to create a cohesive sound?
The beat is definitely more Western inspired and the lyrics have more of a unique Japanese feel, which is my take on “J-Pop”.
You’ve mentioned drawing inspiration from Japanese culture. What was your relationship like with Japanese music growing up and why do you feel it’s important to now channel that into your life?
Japanese culture and J-Pop have always been around me since I was born, so it‘s very important and special to me to now channel it into my life.
Being fluent in Japanese, Armenian, and English, how do you leverage your language skills to connect with diverse audiences?
Being fluent in three languages allows me to relate with diverse audiences and expands my ability to communicate with others.
Your versatility as a singer, model, and actor is impressive. How do you balance these different aspects of your career, and do you find that they influence each other creatively?
They’re all ways I express myself. My experiences in modeling and acting built up my confidence to experiment and not be afraid to try new things, like singing.
What advice would you give to aspiring mixed heritage artists who are navigating the challenges of breaking into the music industry?
Always believe in yourself and be proud of what makes you unique.
As you continue to establish yourself as a global artist, what are your long-term goals or aspirations?
I want to make J-Pop globally known and loved. One of my goals is to walk down the runway to my own music!
“Hit Me With Your Love” by Anna Aya is out now.