Ani Cordero to Release 'Anamores' Album in June

Ani Cordero is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, drummer, and activist based in NYC who grew up navigating two different cultures: traveling between Atlanta, Georgia, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her new bilingual concept album, Anamores (Ana + Amores), releases June 9 via Panepen Records and is an album of radical love, embracing the wholeness of her being by drawing on her childhood.

As a child, Ani felt there were three different versions of herself: The Spanish-speaking one, the English-speaking one, and the one that existed in the magical pre-language spirit space between the two - her own private place she called Aniworld. (Pre-Save Anamores HERE).

The first single from the new album "No Me Da La Fokin Gana" starts with a quick conga intro and then launches into a catchy synth hook and laid-back drumset groove that's perfect for waving goodbye. It's a break-up song that says, "I could try to untangle who is at fault, but I don't fing feel like it. - I'm done." Ani explains this song is, "About walking away from things that are energy draining and non-productive to preserve your own peace. This can apply to politics, relationships, obligations, and pressures put on you by society."

In the video for "No Me Da La Fokin' Gana," we see evidence of neo-colonialism in Puerto Rico in full effect. A variety of people sing the chorus, and you can feel in their faces that they are fighting against being sold out by their own government. Properties are being sold to American millionaire investors with tax breaks not available to Puerto Ricans. Residents are being forced out of their neighborhoods, while housing is converted to Airbnbs. The hurricane continues to damage the island years after the winds have stopped, as opportunist gentrifiers take over the land.

From the start, Anamores was a concept album. The songs were written in the quiet uncertainty of the pandemic, and during this time Ani did a deep dive into a meditation practice. That meditative approach to life is apparent in the album.

Each song is rooted in love (Self-love, Love of a Child, Platonic Love, Love of the Creative Spirit, Love for our Ancestors). The songs have a deepness and healing vibe. Every song on the album is visually represented by a card, in an accompanying deck of meditation cards, produced by Ani, that will be circulating and available in the real and virtual world.

It's a bilingual album that blends folkloric & Latin percussion with indie-pop production. This album has a percussive, meditative thread throughout and does a deep dive into approaching life from a place of love.

Ani is also an accomplished drummer and well-known player in several music scenes. She has toured internationally as the drummer for the legendary Os Mutantes, as well as performing with the acts Rasputina, Bee & Flower, Josh Joplin Group, Tuff Sunshine, and was a founding member of the celebrated Mexican rock band Pistolera.

In the early 2000s, Ani led her own bilingual art rock band, Cordero, who released feminist anthems such as Vamos Nenas and Matadora, on Chicago's beloved Bloodshot Records and on Amy Ray's (Indigo Girls) label, Daemon Records.

Outside of making her own music, Ani is an active supporter of creating new models of mutual support for musicians. In addition to her work as co-founder of Puerto Rico Independent Musicians and Artists (PRIMA), which provides resources and opportunities for independent musicians and artists in Puerto Rico, Ani is the founder of the artist collective Panapén Records.

This coop-style label features a roster of Latinx songwriters, all of whom use music as a tool for artistic and political expression. Ani's newest project is Mama's in the Band, a blog and soon-to-be podcast with parenting advice for balancing motherhood and being a musician.

Ani Cordero will present Anamores at Joe's Pub in New York City on June 11 at 6 pm. Tickets will be on sale this Friday on the Joe's Pub website.

Photo credit: Steph Segarra

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