We Speak Music

Anna Thoresen Turns Heartbreak Into Hypnotic Pop on “VOODOO DOLL”

Published

11 months ago

December 19, 2025

You can almost see it: a dimly lit bedroom in New Jersey, sunlight filtering through blinds, a melody looping endlessly in a young artist’s mind. This is where Anna Thoresen wrote the chorus to her new single, “VOODOO DOLL”, a song that transforms the ache of mistreatment into raw, hypnotic pop. The track fuses infectious hooks with the emotional intensity of rock and the soulful depth of R&B, creating a soundscape where frustration, heartbreak, and empowerment collide.

“VOODOO DOLL is a song about being exhausted by mistreatment and finally wanting your partner to feel the same hurt they put you through. Writing it was an incredible emotional release for me, and I hope listeners find that same sense of catharsis in it,” Anna says, her voice as candid as the lyrics themselves.

From the moment the first note drops, listeners are drawn into a world of hypnotic energy. Driving rhythms pulse beneath layers of soaring harmonies, each chord carrying the weight of vulnerability transformed into strength. What begins as personal pain becomes collective power—an anthem for anyone who has felt worn down, overlooked, or underestimated.

Finished in her LA home studio, “VOODOO DOLL” is a sonic exorcism. The track’s pop melodies loop in your mind while its rock-tinged intensity and R&B soul hit somewhere deeper—between the chest and the gut, where emotion lives. Anna doesn’t just tell her story—she pulls listeners inside it, letting them feel every sting, every spark, every flicker of empowerment that comes from reclaiming one’s voice.

By the end, the hypnotic chorus leaves its mark. Anna Thoresen doesn’t just sing her truth; she makes you live it with her.

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We Speak Jazz

Zahili Zamora Wins Two Global Music Awards and Brings Her Afro-Cuban Jazz Quartet to Regattabar

Published

24 minutes ago

November 2, 2026

We Speak Media

Zahili Zamora seated in a burgundy dress, her braided hair styled in a top bun

Zahili González Zamora. Photo by Robert Torres.

Afro Cuban jazz pianist Zahili Zamora brings her Afro Cuban Jazz Quartet to The Regattabar at The Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, Cambridge, on Friday, November 6 at 7 pm, with special guest Yosvany Terry on saxophone. The quartet features Gerson Lazo Quiroga on bass and Zack O’Farrill on drums. Tickets are $35 and $25 plus fees and are on sale now.

Zamora returns this week from a week in Seoul, Korea, where she was performing and auditioning students for Berklee. She has won two Global Music Awards for her recent album Overcoming, taking Silver Medals for Latin Jazz and Afro Cuban music and for album art and graphics. She is also nominated for the Boston Music Awards 2026 Latin Artist of the Year, with winners announced at Big Night Live on Wednesday, December 16, and WBUR has saluted her as one of its 2026 Makers, its annual series highlighting creatives of color making an impact in the local arts scene. Earlier this year she also won the InterContinental Music Award 2026 for Best of Latin America for her composition “Negra.”

The run of dates continues overseas and back in New York. The Zahili Zamora Afro Cuban Jazz Trio, with Gerson Lazo Quiroga on bass and Julien Miltenberger on drums, plays Upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London on Sunday, November 15, with shows at 2 pm and 8 pm. Zamora then plays duo sets with clarinetist Juan Fer Ruiz at So & So’s in New York on Saturday, November 28, Five Spot Jazz in New York on Sunday, November 29, Fat Swami’s Jazz Bar & Lounge in Guttenberg, New Jersey on Thursday, December 3, and The Delancey on Thursday, December 10.

About special guest Yosvany Terry, The New York Times has written that the Cuban saxophonist, percussionist and composer “has helped redefine Latin jazz as a complex new idiom.” Bassist Gerson Lazo Quiroga, a Chilean born Berklee Presidential Scholar, has performed at Carnegie Hall, SFJAZZ and the Montreal, Monterey, San Jose and Panama Jazz Festivals. Drummer Zack O’Farrill, son of pianist Arturo O’Farrill and grandson of composer Chico O’Farrill, performs regularly across the United States and the globe.