VIDEOS:
LONG BIO:
Singer-songwriter Ani Mari’s debut album, girlfriend, explores the ambiguities of coming of age in a beautifully precarious world. Across ten warmly combative tracks, her songs fight for grace and connection amidst the anxieties, desires, heartbreaks, and oftentimes wearying joie de vivre of being young in America’s heartland. Her genre-bending sophomore album, The Masquerade, was released on August 28th, 2026, only on Bandcamp. In this new body of work, Ani explores the themes of change, risk, lasting love, and navigating adulthood and musicianship in a world increasingly influenced by AI and algorithms.
Though recently having graduated college, Ani Mari has been performing solo, with her backing band, and with her folk duo, Ani & Kora, across her home state of Michigan and nationally for almost a decade, along the way sharing stages with prominent artists such as James McMurtry, BettySoo, Amelia Day, The Accidentals, Lindsay Lou, and May Erlewine, among many others. Raised in the Northwoods of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, Ani’s writing is heavily influenced by the folk, roots, and bluegrass influences she grew up around, but A2Pulp has defined her current temperature as somewhere between Liz Phair, Waxahachee, and Ratboys. However, comparisons ultimately fall short. Compelling, alive, humming, and hungry, her alt-folk songwriting is 100% original, and definitely not to be missed.
girlfriend was produced, recorded, and mixed by Erik Koskinen; The Masquerade was produced by Southeast Michigan producer and folk musician, Chris DuPont.
When not on tour, Ani Mari lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and does sound engineering at the North Star Lounge. Listen to The Masquerade now!
SHORT BIO:
Ani Mari is an alt-Americana singer-songwriter from the Northwoods of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, whose songs weave complex chord progressions into heart-wrenching stories and melodies, spanning from roots folk to indie rock. Whether solo, with folk duo Ani & Kora, or with her backing band, Ani has toured nationally and across her home state for over a decade. Her genre-bending sophomore album, The Masquerade, was released on August 28th, 2026, only on Bandcamp. In this new body of work, Ani explores the themes of change, risk, lasting love, and navigating adulthood and musicianship in a world increasingly influenced by AI and algorithms.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Has released: Two full albums (Good Fighter – 2022 andVoyager – 2018) and one EP (Dubious Decisions – 2017) of original songs of her composition with folk duo Ani & Kora, and two full albums as Ani Mari (girlfriend – 2023 and The Masquerade – 2026)
Has shared stage with (among others): James McMurtry and BettySoo, Amelia Day, The Accidentals, Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps, The Burney Sisters, May Erlewine, Lindsay Lou, Rachel Davis, Seth Bernard, Joshua Davis, Rabbitology, Erik Koskinen
Producers/Engineers worked with: Chris DuPont, Erik Koskinen (Real-Phonic Records), Tom Garneau, Geoff Michael (Big Sky Recording), Samuel Peters, Andrew Bess, Christopher Plummer
Notable festivals/venues played: Blissfest, Holler Fest, Earthwork Harvest Gathering, Viljandi Folk Music Festival (Viljandi, Estonia), Farm Block, Nor-East’r Music and Art Festival, The Ark (Ann Arbor, MI), The Blind Pig (Ann Arbor, MI), The Ypsilanti Freighthouse (UMS) (Ypsilanti, MI), North Star Lounge (Ann Arbor, MI), The Orpheum Theater (Hancock, MI), The Gallery (Munising, MI), The Alluvion (Traverse City, MI), The Fallout Shelter (Norwood, MA), Berlin (New York, NY), The Loft at Manor Mill (Monkton, MD), The Middle East (Cambridge, MA), The Painted Lady (Toronto, ON, Canada), Nostalgia Fishtown (Philladelphia, PA)
PRESS:
The Daily Mining Gazette (08/14/26): Rising star: Ani Mari returns
ANN ARBOR — Annika Seigel never forgot her roots in the Keweenaw. A Houghton native who performs under the moniker Ani Mari is preparing to release her sophomore studio album, “The Masquerade,” Aug. 28.
The 23-year-old artist said she incorporates the Keweenaw winters into her songwriting, detailing her songs like diary entries. “Recently a theme I’ve been writing a lot about is climate change and how it has been affecting our winters in the U.P.,” she said in an interview with The Gazette. “I’m just very inspired by Lake Superior and our forests.” Read more here.
Current (07/26/26): Finding Her Voice: Ani Mari’s New Album Explores Love, Storytelling and Growing Up
Professional musician and singer-songwriter Annika Mari Seigel, who performs as Ani Mari has spent the past decade building a career built on thoughtful songwriting, engaging live performances, and a deep appreciation for Michigan’s landscapes and music communities.
A graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Arts & Ideas in the Humanities, Seigel has evolved from a young folk musician performing in the Upper Peninsula into an artist preparing to release her sophomore album, The Masquerade, this August.
Its first single, “Sun-kissed,” offers listeners an early glimpse into an album that explores adulthood, love, imagination, and the places that have shaped her life. Read more here.
A2 Pulp (03/15/24): Ani Mari, girlfriend
Ani Mari’s girlfriend is the Ann Arbor singer-songwriter’s debut solo album, but she isn’t new to the recording industry. Mari’s been playing in a duo with Kora Melia—her fellow Houghton, Michigan native—since the age of 12, releasing two albums and an EP together. Now a University of Michigan student, Mari recorded girlfriend last summer in Cleveland—with Kora on backing vocals and fiddle—and released it in December 2023. The 10 strong songs extend the country-folk pop style heard on the Ani & Kora albums, but there’s a touch more rock ‘n’ roll on girlfriend, too. RIYL Waxahatchee, Ratboys, and going to see shows at The Ark. Read more here.
Current (02/23/22): Welcoming Ani Mari to the Ann Arbor music scene
Folk singer Ani Mari started out her career just messing around with her childhood friend Kora. They and their families were attending the Blissfest music festival when they created a song about the festival. As 12-year-olds they had been pretending they were in a band for years but when they played this song for their families, it shocked them.
Ani and Kora’s families encouraged them to perform for an open mic at the festival and since then they have become “Ani and Kora” a duet that has performed in numerous venues and festivals and is soon releasing an album titled, Good Fighter.
Currently, “Ani and Kora” are on hiatus as they are attending different colleges but Ani Mari has begun to break into the Ann Arbor music scene as a solo artist. Read more here.
The Michigan Daily (01/18/22): Ani Mari brings Upper Peninsula folk tradition to the Ann Arbor scene
For most college freshmen, moving to a new city and plugging into a new community can be intimidating. But Ani Seigel, a first-year student at the University of Michigan, has leveraged the transition as an opportunity to share her passion for music with the U-M community.
“When I first got here, I knew that I wanted to keep playing music because it’s my biggest passion,” Seigel said in an interview with The Michigan Daily. “So I was immediately plotting how to break into the scene. First, I just started (by) trying to find open mics, and I did an open mic at The Ark and (another) at Vertex Coffee.”
Seigel, who performs as Ani Mari, is an 18-year-old from Houghton, Michigan and has been performing since she was 12 years old alongside her childhood best friend and violinist Kora Melia in their folk duo Ani & Kora. Read more here.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram: @ani.mari.music
Facebook: @ani.mari.seigel
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