Artist Profile: Anya E. Movius ’27 on Valuing the Journey

On Friday, Nov. 7, singer-songwriter Anya E. Movius ’27 performed for The Crimson’s Office Hours, a newly launched series dedicated to highlighting student artists. During her acoustic performance of original songs, Movius transitioned between songs with commentary on authorship and interpretation, including that it should not be up to the artist’s judgement to decide if a song is good or bad.

In an interview with The Crimson, Movius expanded upon this point as she explained her writing process.

“My advice is just to keep going even if you think there’s nothing there. Because one, there could be something and two, even if there’s not, [for] every seven songs you write — if they lead to an eighth song, that’s really great, then that’s valuable,” she said.

This is part of her ideology of valuing the writing process itself and not just a “perfect” final product.

“The culture of Harvard can be pretty based on performance and end product, and I think there’s maybe less focus on the process. It’s just less visible here,” Movius said.

To prioritize songwriting, Movius has undertaken a year-long challenge to write a song a day. In the past, she would not write until she felt that she had a good vision — now, she is shifting her efforts to focus on the process. Movius explains that although there is no end goal to this project, she appreciates the time it gives her to pursue her passion each day.

“I’ve just always loved writing, it’s always just brought me a lot of joy,” Movius said, reflecting on a song she wrote at age four.

This project encourages her to create space in her schedule for writing, which can be especially difficult as a full-time college student.

“A challenge [at Harvard] is trying to figure out how can I prioritize something which I care so much about, when I’m not doing it for anyone but me. There are so many deadlines here that you owe to other people, and so I think it can be hard to set a deadline just for yourself. But, I think it’s been especially important for me to do that while being here,” she said.

For Movius, songwriting is self-care.

“[Songwriting has] always been a place where I allow myself to explore any kind of thought or feeling in a way that I think I don’t in other realms of my life. Because in writing, I think there’s this freedom that comes with not needing to be truthful and not even needing to know if you are being truthful. That line is often super blurry, and I love that,” she said.

Even during difficult days, Movius still writes. She overcomes writer’s block by being less critical of herself, not overthinking, and being open to any kind of start. To help come up with new ideas, Movius emphasized the importance of relaxing.

“It’s hard to write if you don’t take time for yourself,” she said.

Another strategy Movius uses is imagining herself in someone else’s shoes. If on a given day, she is struggling to open up about her own life in her songs, she will write about someone else’s story. One of Movius’ tracks performed on Friday was inspired by a poem she previously copied onto a postcard for a Hum 10 assignment.

Movius’ concentration in Sociology has also inspired many of the key themes in her songs.

“Some of my Sociology classes [reinforce the] ideas of power dynamics and culture and not knowing how you’re influenced, but knowing that something else is influencing you, outside of you, and you’re acting in this way which doesn’t feel natural and you have to sort that out,” she said.

In her writing, Movius highlights nuanced relationships like the ones that are analyzed in these classes.

“There’s definitely value in writing a song where you’re just purely angry or purely sad or purely happy,” said Movius. “Those songs can be super powerful, but I think more often, what’s true to me is kind of somewhere in between. I’m mad at someone, but I also sympathize with them. Or I’m happy, but I’m also anxious about this thing.”

These stories of conflicting feelings reflect her beliefs that our emotions and viewpoints “are not straightforward.” Movius hopes that by highlighting the intricacies of love, friendship, and life, her message will be more relatable to listeners.

Movius has been connecting to audiences for over a decade, and plans to continue writing for the rest of her life. Her album “From Heart to Hips,” EP with Matt Wyatt “At Least for Now,” and multiple singles can be found on streaming services including Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music.