Anabel Englund

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Anabel Englund established herself in the early 2010s through collaborations with electronic dance act Hot Natured, producer MK, and as part of the piano-centric duo Suburban Nightlife. In addition to her prolific slate of guest vocal appearances, she also performed as a solo artist, issuing singles throughout the late 2010s before the release of her official full-length debut, 2020′s Messing with Magic.
Born in New York but raised in California, she grew up in a Hollywood family. Honing her singing talents in youth group and penning tunes for family-friendly television fare, she eventually turned focus to her own work. During 2010 and 2011, she wrote and performed delicate, sparsely arranged, piano-led ballads both on her own and as part of a duo named Suburban Nightlife. However, after she met the renowned Chicago DJ Lee Foss at one of his L.A. gigs, Englund was invited to contribute vocals to Foss & MK’s Electricity EP. Issued on his and Jamie Jones’ Hot Creations imprint in late 2012, the record signified the birth of Englund’s career in house music. Live performances with fellow L.A. artists such as the Human Life production team helped Englund to develop her stage persona, which was influenced by the style and sound of her idol, Madonna. In July 2012, Dim Mak released the euphoric “In Time,” her collaboration with Josh Anaya’s Peace Treaty. By the following summer she had appeared on Hot Natured’s tasteful ’90s house throwback “Reverse Skydiving,” a record that graced the U.K. singles chart. In 2014, she teamed with Pleasure State for the EP Ghost in the System. A flood of collaborations kept her busy for the rest of the decade, as she added Tommy Trash, Taches, Rybo, and more to her résumé.
In addition to her role as a go-to guest vocalist for electronic anthems, she also began working on her own solo material, which included 2016′s “London Headache” and 2018′s “So Hot.” With 2019′s “Messing with Magic,” she set the course for her full-length solo debut of the same name. Released in late 2020, Messing with Magic (Ultra Music) featured contributions from familiar faces MK, Lee Foss, and Jamie Jones. ~ James Wilkinson & Neil Z. Yeung