Anna Vaus: From The Poway California Mountains to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry Stage

Can you share a brief overview of your career to date for our readers?

Absolutely! I feel like the best place to introduce myself is to say that I’m a California kid. I was born and raised in a town called Poway. I was pretty much enamored with country music from day one, but it wasn’t until I was in high school that I realized I could actually write songs for a living. As soon as I graduated from Poway High, I packed up my bags and moved to Nashville to study songwriting at Belmont University.

How did growing up in Southern California, specifically Poway, shape your music?

My home state and town have been a huge part of narrowing down who I am as an artist. It wasn’t until I moved to Nashville and spent a few years away from home that I realized how much I was influenced by California. The golden coast, the mountains, the sunshine all the time. I find it funny because I think most people don’t expect Southern California to lend itself to country music. I mean, Blink 182 went to my high school, and everybody knows the Red Hot Chili Peppers and thinks ‘Californication.’ No one sees…