| Dance Lessons | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | London, England |
| Label: | Exotic Creatures |
Dance Lessons is an international music collective whose music combines pop, electro, jazz, indie and neo soul. The project is led by singer and producer Anne Freier, alongside bassist and backing vocalist Tom Christensen and guitarist Nat Cantor.[1] During the first three years since the group's inception, Dance Lessons have put out five singles. The group have scheduled the release of their debut album for the start of 2025.
Anne Freier, formerly of I Am Harlequin, met Tom Christensen and Nat Cantor in late 2019 at a house party where they got discussing a mutual love of disco, jazz and an interest to start a new musical project.[2] Christensen and Cantor had previously played in the indie band The Collectable Few and were part of Karima Francis' live touring band for a number of years, but the idea of a new project born out of the three's combined musical and artistic interests led them to the studio to start working on material.
The trio released their first single 'SMABTO' (Some Mistakes Are Better Than Others), a jazz-infused, dance-pop song in 2020 to positive reviews from The Fader[3] and The Line of Best Fit.[1]
After writing and recording several more tracks in Freier's East London studio, the group began conversations with New York-based mixer-producer Andrew Maury, with Maury agreeing to mix Dance Lessons' latest batch of songs.[4] The result was the band's second single 'New Job'. The music video to the song was shot in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 lockdown by director Sarah Chatfield and premiered in June of 2020 on COMPLEX.[5]
The group's third single 'Just Chemistry', was released in 2021, for which the group was awarded 'Best of 2021' by US music publication Earmilk.[6] The song was also added to BBC Radio 1's regular rotation, being played on both Jack Saunders Future Artists[7] and numerous spins on Jess Iszatt's BBC Music Introducing shows.
In 2021 Freier was featured in Atwood Magazine for Women's History Month, where she discussed being a female producer in a male dominated industry.[8]