ANNIKA has been engaging and entertaining audiences around the world since 2014 as the lead singer of the CCMA-nominated country-pop duo Leaving Thomas, and now, as a highly anticipated solo artist.
As a classically trained pianist and vocalist, ANNIKA has performed around the world, from bustling cruise ship piano bars, to national television as a Top 11 Canadian Idol finalist, and even hosting the Calgary Stampede Grandstand show with a combined audience of over 200,000 people.
Her debut solo single, “I Really Don’t Want To,” reached No.33 on the CBC Country Top 40 chart, was in the Top 40 at Mediabase for 5 consecutive weeks, and was in the Top 50 on the Billboard Country Chart for 4 weeks. ANNIKA continued to rise in success with the release of her sophomore single, “Encore” (duet with Brett Kissel), which was nominated for 3 YYC Music Awards, followed by her debut EP, Stand Still (2022), which accumulated over 500,000 streams within 2 weeks of its release.
She recently released her new sultry single “It Kills Me”. The music video was directed and filmed by Oliver Banyard at Calgary’s new speakeasy cocktail bar, Prickett Richard. It was inspired by the iconic glamour of the 70s and transports viewers to a different world – one filled with mystery, indulgence, and danger.
ANNIKA plays the protagonist, a character that is strong, alluring, and unafraid to take risks to get what she wants. A vintage car, a fur coat, and a loaded gun are just some of the elements that were used to take the viewers on an exciting adventure. The video takes an unexpected turn towards the end, delivering a surprising twist that will undoubtedly catch the viewer off guard. It’s a masterful piece of storytelling that brings the song’s theme to life with style and flair.
Last year we had the pleasure of premiering ANNIKA’s music video for her single “The Death of Me“, and we’re ecstatic to be teaming up with her again to give our readers an exclusive first look at her music video “It Kills Me” !
From The Artist: “I was excited to challenge myself as a performer and take on a more dramatic, mysterious persona than my usual self,” said ANNIKA. “Musically, “It Kills Me” reminds me of a James Bond theme song, so it was fun to run with that idea and create a cinematic music video with an epic storyline. I’m thrilled with the end result!”
