Ania Hoo Invites Us Into Her World of PURE Love & Disco Funk
Inspired by Marvin Gaye, Teena Marie, and Prince, singer-songwriter Ania Hoo uses her disco-funk-infused sound to share her vulnerability. Her new EP Pure, comes after reflecting on her personal growth and her journey to becoming who she is today. She taps in to her love for Marvin Gaye’s “loving and painstaking” songwriting to bring her deepest feelings to the surface with songs like “In Love,” “I Need It,” “Pink Trees,” “Come My Way,” and “Waiting.”
The New Jersey native fell in love with songwriting after attending open mic nights and poetry slams with her mom at a very young age. She started singing in churches and retirement homes at the age of nine after a family friend heard her talent and encouraged her to keep singing. The 21 year old tells FOCUS, “I always had the dream of becoming a singer.”
Throughout each stage of her life, Hoo intentionally took the time to make her dream a reality. When she got to middle school, she started taking voice and piano lessons -- she remembers her dad telling her, “If you want to make music, you have to learn an instrument.” But she soon came to the realization that she preferred singing over playing the piano. She learned how to do scales and read music during her voice lessons and hopes to return to learning how to play the piano in the future. In high school, she reconnected with writing poetry and released her first song, “Feelings,” on Soundcloud during her sophomore year.
“My new EP wasn’t inspired by anyone; it was just about me and my innocence coming out of high school and growing into the person I am now.
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“When I first started making music, I wanted it to sound as corny and lovey-dovey as possible,” Hoo said. “The first song I put out on Soundcloud was about a crush. I never told him it was about him, but I did show him the song. Every song after that was about crushes.”
When writing her new EP, Pure, she shifted to focus on herself. She says, “My new EP wasn’t inspired by anyone; it was just about me and my innocence coming out of high school and growing into the person I was and am now.” Hoo embraces her unique sound and describes it as a mix of genres like alternative R&B, Pop, Disco, and Funk. "I get asked to describe my sound a lot and I just say alternative R&B because I know since I'm a Black girl, people put in R&B even if I was just a Pop singer. But I'm influenced by Disco and Funk." She makes it clear that these sounds influenced her music to be something people can dance to in contrast to her previous songs, which have slower sounds.
“In Love” was the first song Hoo wrote for Pure, and it ranks #1 as her favorite song she’s written so far. After writing the opening lyrics, she was so impressed with what she came up with. She knew she could go even harder to complete the song and set the tone for the remainder of the project.
When it comes to writing music overall, she admires the songwriting of Marvin Gaye, Teena Marie, Prince, and the music of the ’70s. She describes her love for disco music beyond the beat and says, “When you listen to the lyrics, it’s breathtaking, its poetry. I’m a very big fan of that.” The singer-songwriter feels most appreciated for her work when she’s performing but can admit to the awkwardness she feels on stage. She jokingly says, “Pretending to entertain people in my room is different than entertaining people in person.” Nevertheless, commits to connecting with the audience and pull them out of their shyness.
As an up-and-coming artist, Hoo has learned the most from the challenges she faced while preparing to drop Pure. She dealt with naysayers, and people who gave her a million reasons why she shouldn’t shoot for what she wants. Nevertheless, she stood her ground, and trusted herself. The singer-songwriter told FOCUS, “People have tried to stop me from releasing my EP simply because I didn’t have a music video and a bunch of other things. But I didn’t have a ton of the things they were talking about because I’m a young up-and-coming artist; it’s very hard.”
“In 10 years I want to have at least two Grammy’s... hopefully I’m living in England or something... or have a nice farm in Brazil. Always want to be able to make music of course.
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She wants to remind other up-and-coming musicians and anyone who may be hesitant to commit to their passion that: “It’s now or never. There is never one ‘right’ time… the right time is now, so just do it. Take advice from people, but if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isnt.”
Like most 21-year-olds, Hoo is trying her best to figure out adulthood, but she remains hyperfocused on her music. Looking ahead five years from now, the “In Love” singer hopes to be on the Billboard Hot 100 and sees herself creating a collective for women artists where they can record and write music. Hoo’s dreams don’t just end there; she plans on winning at least two Grammy awards by the time she’s 30 and sees herself continuing to make music while exploring different parts of the world like Brazil and England. With so much more success coming her way, there's no doubt Ania Hoo, along with her music will leave an unforgettable impression on the music industry.
