With her latest EP, Hey Anna, Anna Shoemaker crafted a love letter to her inner child with five dazzling tracks.

She said that the EP is about learning to be intuitive and dealing with heartbreak and anxiety despite being too young to fully grasp the meaning.

“It’s interesting,” she said. “I think when you’re writing about personal experiences you learn a lot and it feels cathartic but you don’t exactly know what you’re learning in the moment. I know that sounds weird but for me it usually hits me at a later date. I’ll be like, “omg I am still so mad about that” or “wow I’m finally over that” but in the moment it just feels good to be writing.”

She describes the EP as a self-analysis, saying that it is easier to blame others instead of taking responsibility. The three singles released prior to the EP - “Holly”, “I Think I” and “666” - gave listeners a glimpse into the story she wanted to tell with Hey Anna. By rounding out the EP with the title track and “ADHD”, she knew that this final track listing was a no-brainer.

Shoemaker credits her debut album, Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire), for pushing her to step outside of her comfort zone for this batch of songs.

“I think I learned so much making my debut album that it was exciting for me to sort of step into some of that and take on more roles in the creation of a lot of this music,” she said. “Also getting to work with [indie rock project] Blonder was so great, I’m such a fan of him as a producer and artist and we had so much fun writing together.”

She not only challenged herself during the creation of this EP, but she challenged herself as an individual. By writing what was important to her in that moment, she was able to make something that can resonate with listeners in an extremely raw way.

“I hope they know it’s okay to feel all your feelings all the time if that’s what you need,” she said. “I honestly pride myself in how dramatic I can be - I think it can be a good thing to explore your emotions and let everything out! Better out than in!”