Singer/songwriter Anna Golden released her first full-length album this past month entitled Peace: The Album. The record rests on a strong foundation of Golden’s musical upbringing —guitar, piano, drums and voice were all part of her homeschool curriculum—as well as her experience as a worship leader. Layered on top of her background is a powerful, awe-inspiring voice that triumphs over questions of desperation.
Videos by American Songwriter
“The genesis of this was all based off of peace,” Golden tells American Songwriter. The warmth of an easy solace radiates out of each of Golden’s 16 songs. It is clear that the artist has lived and refined the art of living in the moment. But before Golden reached the peace that she was able to convey on her album, she reached rock bottom to find it.
“I kind of had this mental break in 2019,” Golden began. “And so I went back to where I am from, St. Louis. I stayed with my parents. I was like, ‘Man, this feels like rock bottom.’ Just really prioritizing my mental health and learning more about how to remain peaceful in chaotic moments. A lot of things that I was learning was how to get your breath from under you. If you can get your breathing from under you, you can get power back.”
She continued, “I just remember I was in the shower one day, and the Lord was like, ‘Just process out of your breath.’ And I started singing the chorus to ‘Peace’: I can finally breathe again. I just kept singing it over and over and over and over. And then I got out of the shower, and I sat down on my parents’ piano and finished the song. It’s super simple… It’s not super encrypted. It’s literally saying I found peace in these different areas of my life. Basically, the declaration of peace is always accessible at every moment in every season.”
Later, Golden would be inspired to write another track off of the album. While leading part of a worship service, new lyrics and melodies filled Golden’s thoughts. After the service, Golden went immediately to the piano in the church where she was and wrote “Still God” in its entirety. “It was like it was already downloaded in my spirit,” Golden said.
“Still God” rocks back and forth between explosions of comfort and recognition. This track is also one of ten songs that were recorded line in Tennessee. The album also has a B side, or second side, that is encompassed by six other tracks. “The B side is a creative outlook on these produced songs that are all biblically-based,” Golden explained.
Now, with the creation and movement of peace in her life, Golden expressed that she is at her “peak happiness.” Golden produced Peace: The Album with friend Dave James and Kenneth Leonard, who assisted with the live side of the album. Tasha Cobbs Leonard also helped with the album as a producer and trusted mentor.
When discussing the finished record now, Golden hopes that her collection of songs can be “a meeting place for the Lord and the listener. I truly believe that the Lord gave me this album for me for the time it needed, and even now today, and I believe in it so much. I know that there’s healing and there’s freedom,” she continues. “And there’s deliverance just weaved into all these songs because I’m the prototype. I’ve experienced it in my own life. So I think that whatever the listener needs to find, this will be the meeting place, a little rendezvous for them and the Lord.”
Listen to Anna Golden’s live performance of “Still God” below and listen to Peace: The Album here.
