Ana Free

Ana Gomes Ferreira (born 29 June 1987), known professionally as Ana Free, is a singer, musician, songwriter and performer who has had a series of top-five hit singles, including 4 number one hits, in Portugal. She has a growing musical presence on the popular video sharing website YouTube, gaining over 40.1 million views to date. Ana Free's single "Electrical Storm" from her debut album, Together, occupied the number 1 spot on the MTV Portugal Top 50 National Music Chart.

Early life

Born to a British mother and Portuguese father, Free grew up with her older brother in Cascais. At a young age she was passionate about writing poetry and stories, and began writing and composing at the age of 10. Since then, she has been able to play the guitar fluently for over 15 years, and has amassed well over 500 original compositions. During her childhood, she went to St.Julians International School in Carcavelos, where she picked up her distinctive accent.

Personal life She is currently recording and living in Los Angeles and recently finished a degree with First Class Honours in economics at the University of Kent in 2008. Ana developed a particular fondness for subjects like international trade and game theory and went on to write a dissertation titled What is the Impact of Technology on the Structure of the Major Record Labels (between 1995 and 2005)? for which she received a Distinction. As well as being fluent in both English and Portuguese, Ana also speaks Spanish, French and Greek.

Influences

Free claims to have been very musically influenced by the records her father used to play to her as a child. She says she grew up listening to artists such as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Santana, Sam Cooke, Joni Mitchell and Sheryl Crow. She learned to play a lot of blues songs on guitar, which she practised with her father. She says that as a teenager she used to borrow her brother's records and listened to artists like Bryan Adams, Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and 4 Non Blondes.

Career

In 2013, Ana Free was invited to be the musical ambassador for the Volkswagen brand in their digital campaign "As Sun As Possible" to promote the new Volkswagen Beetle cabriolet, filmed in Hawaii. Ana also released her debut album, TOGETHER, in January 2013.

After completing the Volkswagen campaign, Ana Free moved to Los Angeles where she is currently based. In late 2013 Ana Free was asked to be one of the official songwriters and composers for the US drama series SAF3

In 2012, Ana Free launched a crowd funding campaign via the popular website PledgeMusic which lasted 8 months. She went on to complete her debut album alongside Argentinian producer Rodrigo Crespo, who has worked with an array of artists including Shakira, recording the album in Buenos Aires, London and Lisbon. Ana debuted the first single "Electrical Storm" off her upcoming debut album on The MTV Show. In December 2012 she released her debut album "TOGETHER" (also known as "TO.GET.HER") on Warner Singapore and it was welcomed onto the music scene with very strong 4/5 star reviews, dubbing the debut album as "written beautifully" and "emotional".

In late 2011, Ana teamed up with MTV EMA nominee DJ Diego Miranda and together they recorded the hit single "Girlfriend" which went on to hold the number 1 spot on the national charts for over 8 weeks.

In August 2011 it was revealed that Ana had won the Music Crowns pop category with her track 'In My Place' as judged by Samantha Mumba, Liam Bailey, Ahmir, Su-Elise Nash and ultimately the UK and Ireland general public.

In May 2010, Free travelled to New York City to work with British film director, music producer and writer Mark Maclaine, for the filming of the videoclip for Questions in My Mind, her first single off the five-track EP Radian, In February and March 2010 she debuted the record in Miami and New York City. She was also featured prominently on a billboard in Times Square. The album has an acoustic/pop theme and is a selection of 5 of Ana's most popular original-content YouTube videos.

In November 2008, Free was invited to record the Portuguese theme tune Voa Até Ao Teu Coração for the release of the Disney movie Tinker Bell for which she also recorded the music video.

She made her first live TV performance in the summer of 2007 on TVI in Portugal, where she sang "Crazy", a song she composed herself. Ana has achieved chart success with her first single, which was released on 23 May 2008, "In My Place". The popularity of her song made it feature in various Portuguese series including Morangos com Açúcar and Podia Acabar o Mundo. and her gigs are recorded by her friends and uploaded to her blogs and websites. She opened for British singer/songwriter James Morrison in the summer of 2010. In November 2010, she opened for Shakira,

Charity

Ana has contributed to a variety of charitable causes, including lending her name to the Liga Portuguesa contra o Cancro (LPCC) in 2009, as an ambassador for raising awareness for cervical cancer. She is also the current ambassador to the Lisbon Oceanarium. In 2010, the Make A Wish Foundation worked with Ana to fulfil the wishes of a young teenage fan suffering from cystic fibrosis, by inviting her and her family to spend 5 days in London, where she accompanied Ana to studio, the London Eye, and attended her popular show at The Barfly.

Discography

Albums TOGETHER (alt. name: TO.GET.HER) (2013) "Perfection" "Electrical Storm" "Rewind" "Renegade" "I Want Your Love" "Sugar Rush" "Wake Up Call" "No Other Way" "Surrender" "Beautiful Goodbye"

EPs Radian (2010) "Questions In My Mind" "Chained" "Try" "Playgrounds And Kisses" "Child"

Singles Singles Year Portuguese Chart No Other Way (from debut album "TOGETHER") 20131 Electrical Storm (from debut album "TOGETHER") 20121 Girlfriend 20121 Playgrounds and Kisses 20101 Questions in My Mind 20104 Self Inflicted 20092 Keep on Walking 20092 In My Place 20081

Official Music Videos "No Other Way" "Electrical Storm" "Girlfriend" "Black Tears" "Playgrounds And Kisses" "Questions in My Mind" "Keep on Walking" "Voa Até O Teu Coração for "Sininho" (Tinkerbell Movie for Portugal)"