In the bustling hum of Nashville’s songwriting soul, where dreams are strummed into being and heartbreak echoes through alleyway bars, a new voice is beginning to rise — strong and certain. Anna Belt, a gifted singer-songwriter balancing student life with the relentless pursuit of her musical vision, is already turning heads with her new single, “Just A Dream.”

The recording, her first since moving to Nashville, captures the ache of love lost and the haunting what-ifs that trail behind in its wake. But if “Just A Dream” is about the ache of waking up alone, Anna Belt is proving she’s wide awake—and ready to shape those dreams into something real.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Belt and talk with her about her music, what it’s like to be a student juggling a budding songwriting career, and what lies on the horizon.

Midwest Riff Review (MRR): Thank you Anna for taking the time to meet with me. Let’s start off with something generic and hopefully not too cliche’, who is Anna Belt?

Anna Belt (AB): Well, I’m a singer-songwriter attending Belmont University in Nashville where I’ve really had the opportunity to grow as a writer and performer. I’m currently pursuing a double major in Songwriting and Media and Entertainment Industries.

MRR: Tell us more about the songwriting aspect of your studies.

AB: The songwriting portion of school for me has been some of my favorite coursework. The professors are out of this world and I’ve had to cut my teeth on assignments that push you out of your comfort zone. For instance, I had to write a Club song which isn’t anything I would have done before taking these classes. It’s been both challenging and very fun.

MRR: How did you get your musical start?

AB: Since I started talking! I remember being in a Second Grade talent show singing a Miranda Lambert song. It was Middle School that I started taking it more seriously, then started seeing a voice teacher in Sixth Grade who continues to be a mentor and influence to me to this day. When I was a sophomore in High School I realized music was what I really wanted to do and it was also there that I started doing theater which helped me come out of my shell and become comfortable on stage. Early on though, I had thought I was going to pursue Music Education. At the same time I had another possible pathway though with Commercial Voice. By the time I got to my senior year, I finally made the decision to take the path away from Music Education and decided to go to Belmont which has really helped me excel.

MRR: When I listen to the lyrics of your new single, “Just a Dream,” I get the sense that it’s about love lost, and what might have been. Tell us about it.

AB: That’s exactly what it’s about! It was the first song that I wrote when I really started to get into songwriting and had the realization that I might actually be able to do this. I literally had a fever dream when I had COVID. It was about someone I used to be with, and that everything that was wrong in that relationship was fixed. In the dream we had gotten back together but when I woke up, realized it wasn’t real. To me that’s a really interesting concept that we can have vivid dreams about things we didn’t even consciously know we were still thinking about. So I channeled everything from that dream, and all the things from the past, including the regret, and put it all together into a 5 minute and 12 second, very long song.

MRR: Was the dream, writing the song, part of a healing process from the relationship do you think?

AB: No, actually, it was very long after the breakup. I was fully moved on. After having the dream though I was a little depressed that day. When you get taken back to something so vividly it impacts you. After writing the song though I felt really good so in the end there was something great that came from the whole experience.

MRR: Talk a little about the process of your song writing. Do you write the lyrics first, or how do you prefer to work?

AB: I’m not sure if I’m odd in this scenario, but I feel like I do things differently than most. I may be doing the dishes or some other chore and all of sudden something will pop into my head out of nowhere. It might be a melody or one lyric. I’ll stop what I’m doing and go sit down and it all spits out of me in 20 or 30 minutes. Some of my best work has been done in very short spurts like this. Usually it’s the lyrics, but occasionally the melody naturally pops into my head first. The two often then just mesh together.

MRR: How do you know when a song is “done.”

AB: I have a lot of typical structures like Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Chorus, but typically the way that I know a song is done is if I’ve said what I want to say in it. I really love putting twists at the end of a song to make it more interesting at the end so if I’m able to do something like that, I certainly try. I almost know in my bones when something is complete.

MRR: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your music?

AB: Oooh, I’d say, based on some of my biggest musical influences, Maggie Rogers, Stevie Nicks, and a lot of older country like Keith Urban and old Taylor Swift that my style is everything from alternative rock to country. I’m really all over the place, but I think it’s cool to have influences from all different genres as it helps you make something new to you.

MRR: Seeing that you’re in school while you’re writing, singing, and performing, how do you balance being a student with trying to boost a music career?

AB: The benefit for me is that the two mesh together in a way. A lot of my classes help me become a better songwriter, and I get more knowledge of the industry at the same time both through performing and school work. Basically, my classes directly help me become a better musician overall. My homework overlaps with my writing since most of those assignments are to write songs, so it really kills two birds with one stone. I’m very lucky in that way.

MRR: How do you think you’ve evolved as a musician over the past couple of years, from when you made the decision in High School to pursue music?

AB: This is a fun thing for me to talk about. My senior year I was writing some really terrible songs. When I got to Belmont, I was a commercial voice major which generally means singing more popular styles of music, really everything but classical. I quickly realized this wasn’t for me, but during my first year I was surrounded by many songwriters and, I’m not sure what happened, but all of a sudden something lit up in my mind and I started writing like crazy. My roommate at the time had a really big influence on me as a songwriter. I ended up switching to the songwriting program and started playing more writer’s rounds in Nashville which also helped with my confidence. I took up the guitar to accompany myself at these performances and have since joined a couple of bands which was nothing like what I did in High School. I feel I’ve really grown as a musician holistically in the last couple of years which has been a lot of fun.

MRR: What do you hope listeners take away from your music?

AB: I’ve never been asked that before. I think the most important thing is for people to take away something and to feel something from my music. Also, when people turn on one of my songs they’re thinking, “wow, this is different from what I’ve been hearing lately.” Hopefully, they can take away something that separates my music from others and helps them in some way with something that might be going on in their lives.

MRR: What’s next?

AB: Well, I have another song coming out. I hope to get the first mix back any day and then I’m headed back to Nashville to record another song which is outside any genre I’ve ever done. It’s more alternative than anything in the past and it’s not a sad song! For it I’ve been collaborating with another class mate which has been a really great experience.

MRR: Do you have any advice for other young people who may be interested in getting into songwriting?

AB: The most important thing is to trust your gut. There a lot of people in the industry who may try to take advantage of you so if something doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t right. Try to be the best version of yourself and put yourself out there, take risks. But definitely trust your gut!

Expect big things from Anna in the near future, but in the meantime you will be able to catch her singing with the band JAMPA in and around Central Ohio before she heads back down to Nashville in the fall. You can follow her on Instagram @annaelizabethbelt and @jampaband.

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