Last Friday, under a bright sunny sky after days of monsoon rains, we had the pleasure of meeting French musician Anaïs Rosso at the Jetwing Colombo.
Dressed in her signature hipster style, a light bottom, baggy oversized T-shirt with ‘Back Angel’ lettering, and sneakers, she exuded a chill vibe. Our photographer, Rukmal, captured her funky moves on the Jetwing rooftop, so perfectly in fact, that one of those shots became this week’s cover.
“Anaïs, did I pronounce it right?” I asked, mindful of the challenges of French pronunciation, especially with names. She re-pronounced it with a smile, “Yeah, that’s pretty close. It’s Ah-nah-ees.”
“So, how have you been, and how excited are you to be in Sri Lanka?” I asked as we settled in. “I’m really excited. I arrived two days ago, and it’s literally a warm country in every way,” she laughed. “You feel it physically because it’s a tropical, sunny country, and you feel it in your heart because people are very warm in their hospitality and full of smiles all the time.”
“Is this your first time in Sri Lanka?” I inquired.
“Yes, but it’s my third time in Asia. I love traveling in Asia; it gives you a completely different vibe and experience. As soon as I came from the airport, I got that vibe, and I felt I’m going to love this country,” she shared.
A self-taught artist, music has been Anaïs’s passion since childhood. “That passion came very naturally to me. At one time I wanted to be a photographer, but I’ve been singing since I was very young.
I love playing the guitar, and although I’m a very shy kid, the stage feels like home when I’m singing,” she recounted.
Her first stage performance was a decade ago in Australia, and her first professional studio recording happened three years ago. Blues is the genre Anaïs loves most, forming the root of most of her songs available on Spotify. The saxophone, an instrument unique to blues, is a common thread in all her compositions. “Blues is raw, and I love it,” she stated, adding, “In many of my songs, blues is the base music, and I also really appreciate African music.”
Her songs are deeply personal, based mostly on her own stories that she yearns to share. Anaïs is a storyteller with a wide range of characters. Through her compositions, adorned with baroque and electronic layers, and nourished by the melancholy of African mourners and unashamed lyrics, she tells us personal and moving tales.
She is very precise in her storytelling of what she has been through, and her intention is for her audience to know her story and feel understood. “Every musician is a storyteller, and I love to use my artistic medium to tell my stories. I think that is the ultimate freedom of an artist,” she affirmed. Anaïs’s songs speak of her late father, her daughter, the history of her family, and her life in France. She wants her stories to be accessible to everyone.
“I do love pop culture and am heavily influenced by its changing cultural aspects,” she noted. In her songs, she questions identity in all its forms. A provocateur of unlikely encounters, she mixes genres and revels in her heterogeneous inspirations, summoning up the Fugees as well as Maria Callas, Henri Salvador, and Etta James.
When performing on stage, Anaïs with her guitar is a common sight. Her tenor voice draws on the invocations of the blues, and in her videos, she does not hesitate to cross-dress to take on different gender identities. “Thanks to YouTube and free media, I was able to express my true stance and create my own identity as an artist,” she explained. As a self-taught artist, Anaïs learned her guitar lessons and vocal practice mostly through YouTube. “YouTube is my teacher,” she says with gratitude for a non-human existence that shapes humans, transforming civilization today.
As our conversation wrapped up, it was clear Anaïs Rosso is more than a mere musician; she’s a force of authenticity, her art a vibrant blend of personal stories and global rhythms. Her journey from bedroom learner to international stage highlights the power of passion, showing that genuine artistry can flourish outside traditional paths.
Anaïs, the winner of the WomenBeats scheme in 2022 and the Women Metronum Academy in 2024 (mentored by Sandra Nkake), is currently composing her first album, due for release this year. Her visit to Sri Lanka, an invitation from the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives for International Music Day 2025, saw her perform two nights: in Colombo on June 21 and in Kandy on June 22.
Her first stage performance was a decade ago in Australia, and her first professional studio recording happened three years ago. Blues is the genre Anaïs loves most, forming the root of most of her songs
