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Jul 26, 2021 By Mark Redfern Photography by Sven Gutjahr Web Exclusive

My Firsts is our email interview series where we ask musicians to tell us about their first life experiences, be it early childhood ones (first word, first concert, etc.) or their first tastes of being a musician (first band, first tour, etc.). For this My Firsts we talk to Anika.

Anika (aka Annika Henderson) is a British ex-pat and former political journalist who is based in Berlin. Last week she released Change, which is her first alum in 11 years, via the labels Sacred Bones and Invada. Anika’s self-titled debut was released in 2010 on Stones Throw. Her most recent solo release was 2013’s Anika EP.

Exploded View’s Martin Thulin co-produced Change and played some live drums and bass. The album was recorded during the pandemic.

“This album had been planned for a little while and the circumstances of its inception were quite different to what had been expected,” said Henderson in a press release announcing the album. “This colored the album quite significantly. The lyrics were all written there on the spot. It’s a vomit of emotions, anxieties, empowerment, and of thoughts like—‘How can this go on? How can we go on?’”

She had this to add about the album’s title and theme: “There’s a lot of stuff I want to change. Some things I sat down and decided last year, I had to change about myself and my life. Sometimes it feels helpless because the things we want to change are so huge and out of our control. Starting with yourself is always a good place. I think we can change.”

Read on as Henderson talks about her cute but dangerous first pet, the monster hunter she adored, failed driving tests, and how she used to really, really, really wanna zigazig ah.

First word?

No idea. I was a very quiet kid. I found it more interesting to observe people than to stand at the front and shout around.

First pet?

I had a little black Dutch dwarf rabbit called Hopsy, who looked very cute but didn’t like to be held or touched or anything. It would scratch people, in particular the really annoying kids. I felt like we made a good team.

First broken bone?

When I was about six or seven I slipped over in the swimming pool and split my head open, pooling blood everywhere. I don’t remember it. Apparently one could see my brain throbbing through the crack in my head. Hmm, well that explains some things.

First person you kissed?

I actually don’t remember. No idea.

First TV show you were obsessed with?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I remember watching it avidly as a kid and wishing I could pull karate moves like Buffy. Also I thought Angel was really fit.

First record your parents played for you?

There was a lot of music in the house, from all directions—I was the youngest. I remember my mum taking us to see the Fledermaus opera aged about seven.

First album you bought?

Possibly Spice Girls—actually I think my sister bought that for me. Also my dad would buy me indie tapes to try to get me on a solid music path. I first got properly into music digging, late night radio playlists and things, aged around 12, as the internet and Napster were first coming into existence. That was a pretty exciting time to discover new music.

First favorite band?