Anisa Hayes

Anisa has been compared to artists such as Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, and Joni Mitchell. In a folk-inspired pop style, she engages audiences with her down-to-earth stage presence and intimate, story-telling lyrics. Her lyrics are sometimes playful, sometimes nostalgic, always honest, and at times heart-wrenching. But even when she speaks of painful aspects of human existence, she does so from an uplifting and hopeful perspective. Many people find her music cathartic. One fan explained: "It's like therapy... it's sincere. When she performs, it's as if she's in your living room.”  Anisa also writes songs inspired by the writings of the Baha'i Faith. 

Born into a musical family, Anisa began her journey as a child who loved to write poetry and sing. She started piano lessons at age nine and by twelve years old she was strumming her first guitar chords and writing her first songs. She sang in high school choirs and talent shows then studied music at Michigan State University. She began performing in coffee houses, clubs, and festivals, eventually opening for national acts and playing to crowds of 10,000 plus. She spent six years in Nashville where she co-wrote pop, Americana, and alt-country songs for other artists, sang on demos, and played at writers showcases including performing at the iconic Bluebird Cafe. She currently calls Michigan home.