In a music landscape packed with autotune, D-Anna is bringing real soul, big vocals and serious instrumental talent back to the live concert experience. The LA-based singer, songwriter and producer effortlessly bridges timeless jazz and R&B roots with sleek, modern pop appeal that speaks to Gen-Z.
D-Anna’s trajectory as a sought after internationally-acclaimed musician began early in her childhood in Russia, where she cultivated her vocal artistry through competitive performance and live television broadcast.
Long before establishing her career in Los Angeles, she achieved major international recognition as a young vocalist, earning multiple golden and silver medals at the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in Los Angeles. Her early dominance on the competition circuit included major awards across elite Russian vocal contests, earning 2nd Place at the Golden Note Vocal Contest, 2nd Place at the 4th New Generation Pop-Jazz Vocal Contest and 3rd Place at the Golden Voice Competition.
Recognizing her extraordinary stage presence and vocal range, she was named “Best Junior Singer” at the 2014 Russian Music Box Awards at the Kremlin Palace and earned “Best Junior Singer (13–18)” at the Kinder Muz-Awards at Crocus City Hall.
Parallel to her vocal experience, D-Anna became a prominent television personality across Eastern Europe, hosting programs on major music networks including Russian Musicbox and Muz-TV. This extensive background performing in front of stadium-scale audiences, including live appearances at the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix in Sochi and Olimpiysky Stadium, provided the foundational discipline that eventually propelled her onto Southern California’s most iconic stages, from Hotel Ziggy to Andy’s in West Hollywood.
Gen-Z audiences are craving something different after growing up on ultra slick digital vocals and glossy tracks. They’re craving an authentic, analogue sound infused with modern storytelling based around our ever-complicated digital lives, something D-Anna can speak to, while channeling 1990s jazz-infused R&B. Whether she’s taking home major international audio awards or lighting up crowded rooms at iconic West Hollywood venues, D-Anna is indeed, an exciting young artist to watch.
Her artistic foundation was recognized on a global stage at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) 149th Competition in New York City in 2020 for her breakout single “Not Today,” which she co-wrote and performed. The song earned a prestigious award for musical production in the Modern Studio Category. Her producer Troy Tang won the Gold Award for the “Not Today” track. It was an accomplishment for Tang, who is usually known for scoring several high-profile TV series on Netflix, Bravo, HBO and Hulu.
While the award highlighted the track’s pristine technical execution, D-Anna recalls that the record began in a far more intimate setting. “The original demo of ‘Not Today’ I brought to Troy Tang was just me singing and playing keys in my room,” she recalls. “He turned it into an amazing pop record. Funny enough, Mark Kraus suggested we add a glissando into the keyboard arrangement, which made the record stand out even more. We had no idea at the time that we’d end up working together again, many years later.”
As the arrangement expanded, D-Anna brought in key collaborators to shape the track’s emotional narrative and genre-blending style. “As we developed the production together, I wrote a new verse, and my friend and fellow songwriter Kennedi Mims Frederick wrote a catchy outro that gave the song its R&B feel at the very end,” she said.
“’Not Today’ is an empowering breakup song about letting go of everything that no longer serves you,” said D-Anna. “My artistry has since evolved toward more soulful records blending jazz, soul, pop, and R&B, but when Troy and I made this one, our goal was simply to write a strong pop song, and I love how it turned out.”
The track’s quality was further elevated by high-caliber studio engineering, bringing D-Anna into alignment with some of the industry’s most respected professionals. Another key collaborator on ‘Not Today’ was Heidi Wang, a Grammy-nominated engineer who also worked on Justin Bieber’s album Justice a year after mixing D-Anna’s record. “I’m grateful to have worked with such talented musicians on this song, and proud that it earned Troy an award,” she notes. “I wrote my songs ‘Not Today’ and ‘Peace of Mind’ in pretty dark periods of my life that were filled with uncertainty, but ironically they came out to be very positive and uplifting records.”
Since establishing her base in Los Angeles, D-Anna has built a formidable creative team, surrounding herself with top-tier producers and engineers. Her core studio unit now includes producer and engineer Jacob Spitzer, who worked previously with Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift.
Her team also includes producer Mark Kraus and Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Keith Gretlein, whose portfolio spans legendary acts like Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, and P!nk.
For D-Anna, assembling this specific team marks a major turning point in realizing her sonic vision.
“Jacob Spitzer is now part of my main production team, a duo alongside Mark Kraus, and Keith Gretlein is the mastering engineer we work with to master all of our music,” D-Anna says. “I’m planning to keep collaborating with all of them and writing many more songs together as we continue shaping my sound. We work incredibly well together, and I feel grateful to have reconnected with them here in LA to start writing music again.”
The collaborative dynamic relies on a rare blend of instrumental mastery and instinctual songwriting. She works alongside producers and recording engineers or just producers Mark Kraus (keyboard and violin) and Jacob Spitzer (drums, guitar and bass) while she works on lyrics and vocals.
“Together, we shape the melodies and arrangements,” she said. “Beyond our shared knowledge of composition and music theory, we’re part of a highly supportive music community here in LA filled with incredible musicians.”
This creative chemistry has brought a renewed sense of momentum and ease to her studio sessions. “More than anything, I finally feel like I found a perfect team to be able to create music that shares my unique musical vision,” D-Anna notes. “It truly feels magical to realize how effortless the songwriting process can be when you write with people who live and breathe music, just like you, and dedicated years to master their craft. The studio feels like home now.”
Her technical ability and strategic studio work has caught the attention of major label executives and tastemakers across Southern California. D-Anna was recently a standout finalist at the recent “Pass The Aux” event, hosted by Something Dope For The People in partnership with Create Music Group. She shared her unreleased demos before a tightly-knit, curated community of high-level music industry executives and colleagues.
The event is a vote-based basis of who gets to the finals, and artists are paired up two or three at a time, with each demo playing for just one minute with a timer before the room turns around and votes. “I ended up becoming a finalist alongside three incredibly talented female artists,” said D-Anna. “It was such a pleasure to become a finalist alongside such gifted artists, and we all support each other now.”
Her entry featured two unreleased tracks, including “Salt n Sugar” and “Green Light, Red Light,” which served to validate her upcoming EP roll-out strategy in front of influential A&R decision-makers.
“Showing my unreleased music to LA-based producers and record label executives has been a wonderful experience,” she says. “I received valuable feedback from industry leaders before the project’s release, which helped refine the records and shape a rollout strategy that best represents the EP I’ve been working on. I’m grateful to be connecting with so many wonderful people who share my passion for music.”
While her studio credentials continue to accumulate, D-Anna’s presence is equally defined by her live performances across iconic Los Angeles venues, including Black Rabbit Rose, Bar Lis, Hotel Ziggy and Andy’s WeHo. Her dedication to the stage traces back to an early life steeped in live performance and classical vocal competition.
“Performing live has been one of my favorite things to do for as long as I can remember,” D-Anna said. “When I was 8-years-old, I used to lip-sync Britney Spears songs in the mirror before I even spoke English. Later on, I competed in dozens of vocal competitions and brought home top awards at a very young age. I believe the beauty of live music lies in the human connection it creates, making everyone in the room feel seen, heard, and understood.”
Her recent shows across Los Angeles have featured live instrumentation, custom arrangements, and significant media exposure. “It was truly a dream to perform at Andy’s, which is owned by Anderson .Paak, where I performed Sade’s ‘Nothing Can Come Between Us’ with a live band,” she says. “Performing as part of We Found New Music at Hotel Ziggy was also incredible—past performers include Billie Eilish and YUNGBLUD, so it was an honor to stand on that same stage. My show with BSPOKE/LA even came with a billboard on Fairfax announcing the event.”
Words: Nadja Sayej
Photos: Courtesy of D-Anna and Olga Pankova
