Anomali: Redefining the Artist Through AI, Emotion and the Power of Words

Behind Anomali is Alicia Howard, a songwriter and creative using artificial intelligence to turn the music she hears in her head into reality.

Howard has always loved music and writing, but there was one traditional part of being an artist she couldn’t do: sing. Instead of letting that limitation stop her, she found another way.

That discovery led to Anomali, a name inspired by the idea of something unusual, different and outside the ordinary.

For Howard, AI isn’t the artist—it’s the tool. The creativity begins with her.

“I have always loved music, and I have always loved to write,” she explains. “However, I was never able to actually sing.”

Howard writes the lyrics, develops the concepts and determines how she wants each record to sound. She thinks about everything from bass, piano and violin to tempo, melody and the overall emotion of a song. The AI then helps transform that vision into a finished vocal performance.

That process is at the center of her EP Start of Dreams by Anomali.

Music From Experience

Howard’s songwriting starts with emotion. Her concepts often come from things she has experienced, feelings she’s carried or situations she’s currently going through.

“I start to write from my heart,” she says.

Once the emotion and lyrics are in place, she begins building the sound around them. AI gives her the freedom to experiment, recreate ideas and continue refining a song until it matches the vision in her head.

For Howard, that makes AI a creative equalizer.

She knows some people question whether AI-generated music can be considered real artistry. Her answer is straightforward: the technology may provide the vocals, but the story, lyrics, direction and creative vision come from a real person.

“Singing is simply a second talent that I don’t have,” she says. “The talent that I do have is the ability to put words to paper and know how I want the music to sound.”

Anomali’s Identity

Anomali doesn’t have a definitive face yet. Howard has used visual representations that resemble her or reflect her identity, but the project’s deeper identity comes through its storytelling.

The goal is to tell her story while encouraging listeners to see life through a different lens.

Her influences are just as diverse. Howard names Lauryn Hill, Beyoncé, Queen Latifah, the Spice Girls and Eve among the artists who have shaped her creative perspective. Their differences have helped her create something that doesn’t fit neatly into one genre or sound.

The Future of AI Artists

Howard believes AI artists will eventually become a significant part of the music industry, particularly in songwriting, recorded music and publishing.

She believes AI-created acts can compete for streams, radio play and chart positions, although she acknowledges that technology still has a long way to go before AI artists can fully replicate the human side of the music business—touring, live performances and personal fan interactions.

Five years from now, Howard hopes Anomali has established itself in publishing and grown into a recognized creative project.

But more than anything, she wants people to remember the message behind it:

You can do anything you put your mind to as long as you remain persistent.

Anomali is ultimately a story about finding another way. Howard couldn’t sing the songs she heard in her head, so she found a technology that could help bring them to life.

And in doing so, she is helping challenge the question of what an artist can be in the next generation of music.

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