Essex, England-born Anne-Marie Nicholson was no stranger to performing by the time her debut EP dropped in 2015, having shared the stage as a 12-year-old with none other than Jessie J in a West End production of Whistle Down the Wind. She also auditioned for Les Miserables without telling her parents, and was offered a part. It was a risk that paid off, as it served to open her parents’ eyes to her singing ability. Aside from West End commitments, the intervening years between her days as a child star and the advent of her career as a pop singer were spent becoming a world karate champion no fewer than three times, an art form she credited with teaching her discipline and focus, two essential traits of becoming a successful musician. After a chance meeting with an aspiring singer/songwriter, she managed to secure some studio time in Elton John’s Rocket Studios, and, after hearing what she could do, she was subsequently picked up by Elton’s management company Rocket Music. Anne-Marie released a demo in 2013 entitled Summer Girl, which drew some attention to the singer, most notably garnering a fan in Ed Sheeran.
Despite the encouraging start to her solo career, things were put on hold to give her more time to develop as an artist. Having guested on tracks by dubstep super group Magnetic Man, London-based garage duo Gorgon City, and progressive house trio Raized by Wolves, Anne-Marie caught the attention of Brit and MOBO award winners Rudimental. She was featured alongside Dizzee Rascal and Will Heard on two tracks from their second album, 2015’s We the Generation, and spent two years touring with the band, playing some of the world’s biggest stages and best-known festivals. The summer of that year also saw the release of Anne-Marie’s debut EP on Rudimental’s then-new record label Major Tom’s. The aptly titled Karate EP featured three tracks and a Chloe Martini remix, and producers Josh Record and Two Inch Punch worked with her on the record. Both the lead single “Karate,” a slick fusion of electro-grime and R&B, and the follow-up “Gemini,” garnered some very positive reviews and led Anne-Marie to gigging as a solo artist. In early 2016, the new single “Do It Right” appeared, amid confirmation of a debut full-length album to be released in the summer of that year. ~ Simon Spreyer
“Alarm is about somebody I was dating and I guess I just always had a suspicion that he was doing something naughty. I’m a bit of an investigator and I found out my inkling was right! The thing is, he left someone to be with me and I always thought he could do it again.”
Anne-Marie: Alarm [Official]
Anne-Marie: Alarm Lyrics:
You’re lay here with me, you’re shutting down
I smell around ya, I’m focused now
I know what’s going on in your head, yeah
I know it’s happened here in our bed, yeah
Your phone is buzzing, so pick it up
I know she calling, so what the fuck
I should’ve know that she stays a cheater
So here we are
And there goes the alarm ringing in my head
Like somebody said, “Don’t you trust him, no”
A texting from his ex, what did you expect?
Now you’re laying here knowing where he goes
Now he gotta getcha. Coming here to getcha.
Same way that they come that’s the way they go
Now he gotta getcha. Rewinding the pitch, yeah.
There goes the alarm and the siren’s gone.
There goes the alarm.
I saw it coming, I let it go
My guts will tell me, “I told you so”
But I was so intrigued by your style, boy
I was being a sucker for a wild boy
I’m better than this, I know my worth
I might be getting what I deserve
But I ain’t sticking ’round for the rerun
What’s done is done
And there goes the alarm ringing in my head
Like somebody said, “Don’t you trust him, no”
A texting from his ex, what did you expect?
Now you’re laying here knowing where he goes
Now he gotta getcha. Coming here to getcha
Same way that they come that’s the way they go
Now he gotta getcha. Rewinding the pitch, yeah
There goes the alarm and the siren’s gone
There goes the alarm. Now he gotta getcha.
Same way that they. Now he gotta getcha.
There goes the alarm, yeah
Same way that they. Now he gotta getcha, yeah
Bang bang, two-shot fire.. Man down, I’m fool and liar
Ring ring, trust gone missing
House on fire, house on fire
Bang bang, two-shot fire. Man down, I’m fool and liar
Ring ring, trust gone missing. House on fire
And there goes the alarm ringing in my head
Like somebody said, “Don’t you trust him, no”
A texting from his ex, what did you expect?
Now you’re laying here knowing where he goes
Now he gotta getcha. Coming here to getcha
Same way that they come that’s the way they go
Now he gotta getcha. Rewinding the pitch, yeah
There goes the alarm and the siren’s gone
There goes the alarm. Now he gotta getcha
There goes the alarm. There goes the alarm
Now he gotta getcha. There goes the alarm
There goes the alarm.
