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ANN ARBOR -- Annika Siegel never forgot her roots in the Keweenaw. A Houghton native who performs under the moniker Ani Mari is preparing to release her sophomore studio album, "The Masquerade," Aug. 28.
The 23-year old artist said she incorporates the Keweenaw winters into her songwriting, detailing her songs like diary entries. "Recently a theme I've been writing a lot about is climate change and how it has been affecting our winters in the U.P.," she said in an interview with The Gazette. "I'm just very inspired by Lake Superior and our forests."
Upon graduating from Houghton High School in 2021, Mari enrolled in the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She graduated in 2025 with an Arts and Ideas in the Humanities degree, a concentration in music and a minor in Spanish. Ani Mari released her debut album in 2023, titled "girlfriend." She said a lot has changed with her musical style since first performing music in the Keweenaw when she was younger.
"I think what I've learned from performing over the past decade is it's very okay to change as an artist," she said. "It's good to experiment with genres and keep changing and you never have to stay as one thing."
Originally performing with her friend, Kora Melia, as Ani and Kora, Ani Mari traveled all throughout Michigan performing at open mics, shows and festivals. Now touring with her band, she said she is very excited to play her new material. Singles from the upcoming release include titular song, "The Masquerade" and recent single, "Track Star."
"I think we all really love performing this one song that'll be on the album that's called 'Wool Sweater,'” she said. "That one is just really fun to play with the live band because it's a little bit longer than our other songs and there's a huge jam section at the end. Audiences have been responding to it well."
Her new album will be available to purchase on the website Bandcamp Aug. 28 and will be followed by merch and cd printings shortly after. "The Masquerade" will be on all streaming platforms later in the year, she said.
Ani Mari will be performing at The Orpheum Theater in Hancock on Aug. 19. She and her band will be joined by Houghton-based rock outfit, Kowsit Lats. You can listen to her new album on Aug. 28, at animari.bandcamp.com.