Originally Published on August 7th, 2026

Singer, songwriter, and a classically trained pianist, Anja Kotar is a wildly impressive musician; borderline prodigious. The Bay Area musician has been releasing music since 2019 and, with millions of streams to show for it, I don’t imagine there would be many who would argue that fact.

Kotar, originally from Slovenia, relocated to the states with her family 13 years ago. After completing a master’s degree in music production from Berklee College of Music, she began releasing her own independently produced music. She has been featured in Earmilk, Wonderland, and Paste magazines, and her song, Movie, was featured in a viral TikTok video receiving more than 14 million views.

It is surprising to learn that, with all of her reputable success as an independent artist, Kotar records and produces all of her music from the bedroom of her Northern California home.

Early Recordings

Kotar’s first works include singles like Kids, Brain, House Party, and Really Like You, which has been streamed 1.5 million times. Built around a pop sound that could be compared to artists like Sia and AURORA, the early work is upbeat and positive with glimmers of technical complexities that make it unique.

Something I find interesting about Kotar’s work is, after the release of her initial singles, her work can be segmented into different phases or eras.

The first significant era comes from her Songs from Isolation EP, which features songs like Movie, Love Song, Midnight in Paris, and Tuscany, which has earned nearly 1.7 million streams.

The next era is her calendar area, which began in January of 2022, where she released a song per month: each named for the month they were released. From the absolutely beautiful ballad, January, Anja Kotar shows a brilliant diversity in the dynamics of her work. She excels in intimate, organic settings, as well as more complex productions like February. In addition to these songs, June and April are noteworthy releases from this era.

In 2023, Kotar released her debut album, Hopeless Romantic, a 10 – song album that runs at just under 30 minutes. There are some really delightful songs on this album. I really like Meetcute, which has a hint of funk influence, as well as Butterflies, which has a sort of pop punk influence to it.

At the Bookstore

In 2024, Kotar started working on the most involved segment of her work to date. Inspired by the feeling of browsing a bookstore, her next releases would chronicle the different kinds of books one might pick up while looking.

There are several significant releases in this era. My favorites are Montana Sky, The Many Lives of Juliet (which might be the most adorable song I’ve ever heard in my entire life), and Diver, which has an extraordinary build.

Honestly, picking “favorites” does this body of work an injustice. They are all really impressive songs. Stylistically, the songwriting and production has also evolved to reflect some similarities of some of the more brilliant moments that can be heard in some of Taylor Swift’s more recent work. Kotar is a very thoughtful and meticulous producer.

A Study in Waiting

A Study in Waiting is the latest release in the “at the bookstore” series by indie-pop singer/songwriter, Anja Kotar. It releases today, August 7th, and runs at a little more than three and a half minutes. It features music and lyrics performed and produced by Kotar.

A Study in Waiting may be the most significant showcase of Anja Kotar’s classical background to date. There is a significant influence of the classical piano in this song, even including a verse interpolation of Elgar’s Salut d’amour. Additionally, Kotar brought in live strings, harp, acoustic guitar, wind chimes, and a celesta.

Vocally, she also performs this with more technical precision heard classical performance. It could almost be composed for a musical; a fitting piece of music that exists only to anticipate our heroine meeting their one true love.

The production is perfect. It’s mind blowing that Kotar does all of this in her room. The production value is award-worthy. There isn’t a sound or note out of place. Not one moment is used to mask or alter any performance. Instead, it enhances every moment of every part.

Final Thoughts

This morning, I woke up and got ready for work. I got into my car and A Study in Waiting was the first song in my queue. After, a couple of listens, I clocked the performance, the technical elements, and the production value. It didn’t take long to recognize that Anja Kotar is a talented musician.

Then, I started listening to the rest of her catalog. I realized that I still underestimated just how good she was. I started to ignore my analysis. With every song, I fell in love with the art more and more. I started going to Anja’s YouTube page and watching the music videos, watching her production tutorials, and trying to learn her thoughts behind her releases. The more I saw the vision, the more I fell in love the concepts.

Then, there’s the execution.

Musically, it was like listening to one hit after another, after another, and so on. The little visualizers for each song, Anja is electrifying with charisma. The way she throws a little wink to the camera from time to time is truly hypnotic. The different dresses that provide these extravagant color pops. The sincerity in every smile.

I listened to A Study in Waiting again. I realized I was no longer listening to her music as a critic, or as a journalist. I was listening as a newly converted fan. Writing the article began feeling tedious because I just wanted to stop typing and listen.

Anja’s website has a shop where she has a variety of different merch. She also has a tutorial of the best ways to listen to the different phases of her music.

The Official Music Video for A Study in Waiting will be premiering on YouTube in 2 hours.

Click here to watch.

There are many kinds of love. There is love for a partner, a love for a parent, a love for a child, a love for a pet, a love for a friend. Anja Kotar’s music exhibits a person who thinks about love on a deep level. Her music is joyful by design. I’ve not only enjoyed listening to her music, I have fallen in love with it. It’s yet another kind of love. The kind that recognizes extraordinary things and moments. The kind that identifies beauty in flowers. That hears peace in waves crashing or thunder storms. The taste of chocolate.

Today, Anja Kotar made me fall in love.

Go press play. You will too.