Three years after her breakout single ‘Forever’, bilingual pop artist and global citizen Anastasia Koss steps back into the spotlight with ‘Celebrate The Night’, a glittering, synth-drenched ode to after-hours resilience. Raised in Pennsylvania, now living in Hong Kong, Koss has never followed a straight line. Her artistry is shaped as much by midnight auditions and skyline reflections as it is by ‘80s power pop and ‘90s anthems. And with this new release, she is owning the night.
Part city love letter, part working-class celebration, ‘Celebrate The Night’ is a manifesto for the dreamers burning the candle at both ends. Written during a period of anxiety and ambition, Koss channels the fear of uncertainty into something empowering, elevating her storytelling with theatrical flair and pop-world polish. The result? A sound that’s confident, cosmopolitan, and unapologetically hers.
So with the new single out now, we sat down with her to discuss her origins and influences over the years.
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Can you tell us a bit about your musical background and how you got started in music?
Since a young age, I grew up surrounded by music. My parents, grandfather and uncle all played in a band, and my mom is a music teacher and choir director. It was a non-negotiable that we all had to learn an instrument, so I grew up learning flute, piano and ukulele, as well as singing in choirs and doing musicals. It has always been a part of me, and from a young age I gravitated towards musical theatre as it combined my love for music and dance. I left my hometown in Pennsylvania to pursue musical theatre in New York City. Going to theatre school and having that experience in the big city gave me the tools and discipline to pursue all different avenues of singing, songwriting and acting.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, both past and present?
It goes without saying that my parents were when I was a kid, but of course as a teenager I grew up playing Christina Aguilera, Billy Joel, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey CDs on repeat. Now that I currently live in Hong Kong, a lot of present musical influences are Mandopop and Cantopop artists like Karencici or Gareth.T. It is a wide variety day to day and varies depending on when and where (and who) I am listening to music with. When I say “who,” I indubitably must give an honourable mention to the Cocomelon recording cast for keeping my daughter sane on long car rides.
Are there any specific artists or bands that have had a significant impact on your music style or approach?
I generally enjoy listening to pop, R&B and country music daily, but I would say my sound leans more towards pop. Meghan Trainor is a big inspiration to me, and a lot of pop country singers such as Kelsea Ballerini are always on my playlists. I find the country music genre has some of the best lyricists and songwriters out there. I am really drawn to clever lyrics and upbeat melodies. I remember listening to American country a lot in the car with my mom in the early 2000s- Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Keith Urban. Even Taylor Swift’s early country stuff. I find it funny now that I live in a huge Asian metropolis like Hong Kong- which is the opposite of driving down a country road with the windows down like in the U.S. I also think that those well-written country songs influenced a lot of my early songwriting. But as far as my sound goes, I believe a big pop sound resonates with my current vibe and lyrics a lot more and reflects my current reality of living in Hong Kong and previously, New York.
Could you share any memorable moments or experiences that have shaped your musical journey so far?
I think the turning point for me was in 2022 when I released the Chinese version of my first song, “Faraway Love.” (遥远的爱) I tend to think my Chinese is just mediocre, but when I started to attempt writing pop songs in Mandarin it was quite fun and I truly had no idea that people would listen to it and enjoy hearing me sing in Mandarin. It was also very unexpected when the song went viral on Douyin (China’s Tiktok) after a video I posted with the song. This then lead to give me the confidence to take out some of those ink-stained pages in my notebook and release more Chinese songs, such as “永远” (Forever) end of 2023. Of course English is my mother tongue so that is most natural for me to write in but living and having such a presence in China has shaped the way I look at music and how we consume it as well. I am really drawn to learning about Chinese instruments and I love to see how so many Chinese pop artists have weaved those traditional sounds into current pop music. This undoubtedly is due to the amount of time I have spent in Mainland China.
How do you express your personal experiences and identity through your music?
Music for most artists is a creative outlet to get big feelings or confusing emotions out of our heads and into something that makes sense, or the need to just jam with other musicians and create something together. There were different eras in my life. I relied a lot on writing song lyrics or poetry in my notebook or just hearing a melody before sleep and quickly doing a voice recording on my phone to get it out and into something tangible. These are all small, creative glimmers that appear whenever I have something I am working through in my head, or celebrating- such as love, joy, or satisfaction. Most of my songs won’t make it out of my notebook and onto a mainstream streaming platform, but they still served a purpose at one time in my life. It’s sometimes a little cringe to look back on those unreleased songs but also a real, beautiful portrayal of what consumed my thoughts at that time of my life.
Are there any particular themes or messages that you aim to convey through your music?
When it’s all said and done, I want people to be able to resonate and feel seen through the lyrics yet also feel comfortable enough to put my music on when they’re in the car, while they’re cooking, or maybe while working out. Something that has good vibes and is easy listening. Of course I mentioned getting my feelings out but I never want it to be too deep- or perhaps I haven’t reached that stage in my songwriting career just yet. The world is currently such a heavy place that I hope to spread messages that people can relate to, whether that be in English or in Mandarin. I think this feeling is valid across all cultures.
Can you talk about your creative process and how you go about writing and producing your music)
I usually feel compelled to write lyrics first, however with my song You Better Talk, I heard that specific melody so clear in my head that I remember needing to get it down instantly at the piano with a friend and then figuring out lyrics later. Every process is different. I generally create a demo and then spend a lot of time contemplating the overall sound, instruments that would make sense, (language and potential audience plays a big part of this too) and start working with a producer of whom I think would do well with that specific sound and their previous experience as a producer or engineer on similar tracks. On occasion I need to present reference tracks in order to be clearer about my vision. Sometimes this process is done remotely in either Hong Kong or New York (or vice versa) and we generally have several rounds of edits. I wish I could have more opportunities where songwriting happens a bit more organically in a room and we can hash out one or two full songs in a day but as an independent artist I haven’t had many of those chances just yet as self-funding studio time and a production team looks different when you aren’t signed.
Lastly, it is very fun and rewarding for a singer and an actress to create a music video concept and perform in it too. I am such a visual person that I spend a lot of time going over what I would like the music video to look like, as some of the greatest music videos have changed my portrayal of the song compared to when I was just listening through headphones.
How do you hope your music will resonate with your audience, especially with other aspiring female musicians?
I hope that other musicians, especially bilingual musicians don’t always limit themselves to one niche, and even if they don’t believe they are proficient enough in one language or genre, they should remind themselves there is a market for something, somewhere. For example, look at the success story of Bad Bunny. So many of his listeners do not even understand Spanish but they appreciate the rhythm and melody. His influence is so big that his fans are even starting to study Spanish just so they can understand the lyrics. There are so many different genres and subgenres nowadays and the world is more connected than ever. For me, I have built a small fan base through music but also through assuming the role of a content creator or “KOL” on social media. Through that experience I have been surprised by a lot of feedback from listeners that are based all over the world. Naturally, there are many different cultural nuances and unfortunately given the political climates of U.S./China relations, sometimes this can hold people back from wanting to create. But what I have found is even if we can’t understand the lyrics or culture so deeply, everyone appreciates a good melody line, a sick beat and a show-stopping music video.
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Watch the video for Anastasia Koss’ new single ‘Celebrate The Night’ below.