"Music for me has always been very special," said Anna Elise LaFrance who chatted from Greece over a Zoom call with City Editor Jack. "The way you can express emotion through music is not something I could find anywhere else."

Before LaFrance's passion for music and storytelling took her across the world, she attended Charlotte’s Northwest School of the Arts, performing in plays and musical productions where she found her passion for performing arts.

"I'm going to do this for the rest of my life," said LaFrance. "This makes me so happy. I don't feel alive unless I'm on stage." The arts offered a way to find confidence, communicate, and understand people. "I think as artists, we're naturally curious."

That curiosity led LaFrance to move to London at 18 years old to study at the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance + The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Anna Elise LaFrance's single, "It's All Happening" is available on Spotify and Apple Music. | Photo by Kim Hardy Photography

While pursuing her acting career, an opportunity arose for LaFrance to fulfill a dream to create music. She celebrated a recent milestone: recording her first single, “It 's All Happening,” in July.

The song is a celebration of life, paying homage to legendary musical artists whose footsteps LaFrance dreams to follow.

"That whole song is about that really amazing trip that I had staying in Laurel Canyon (California), which is just charged with musical energy. The Doors lived there and Jonie Mitchell's house is there," said LaFrance. "It's a really magical place."

The Charlotte native continues to see music as a nostalgic friend, a way to express emotion + an opportunity to build community.

"If I could be able to inspire somebody else, I think my purpose is to help people and comfort people and inspire them."