Anna Moss grew up in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, where she formed the multi-instrumental pop-folk-rock duo Handmade Moments with partner Joel Ludford, singing and playing bass clarinet, upright bass, and saxophone. The pair moved to New Orleans in 2016, and in 2020, amid pandemic isolation, Moss began writing songs on guitar for the first time, eventually taking her nascent material to Royal Street in the French Quarter, where tourists gathered to watch her rehearse on equipment powered by car batteries.
Those sidewalk sessions led to her solo project, Anna Moss and the Nightshades, which includes Ludford, flautist Victoria Doutón, and Brazilian drummer Fernando Lima, whom she met during her Royal Street busking days, alongside guest all-stars including trumpeter Ashlin Parker and vocalist Cyrille Aimée. Her 2024 release, Amnesty, includes "Slow Down Kamikaze," filmed on Royal Street for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, a milestone that helped cement her reputation as one of the city's most compelling newer voices.
Moss's music blends sultry, stripped-down soul with Southern R&B, Americana, and porch jazz, earning comparisons to John Prine and Grace Slick for her dark humor and evocative voice. She has performed at venues across the city including Chickie Wah Wah and Tipitina's, and appeared at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on the Lagniappe Stage, alongside festival dates at High Sierra Music Festival and beyond.
