Singer/Songwriter Anna Grace Patterson Finds Love in ‘Mountains’

Photo Credit: Nathan Dowdy

By Meg Hale Brunton

Ballerina turned singer/songwriter Anna Grace Patterson has accomplished a lot considering she is only 25 years old. After nearly fifteen years as a professional ballet dancer, she managed a professional pivot by turning her attention to music when dancing roles became scarce due to the pandemic. “I’m an arts girl,” the multitalented Indie folk singer professes. Last year, she released her debut single, ‘Mountains.’

Born and raised in Cherryville, North Carolina, Patterson started training as a dancer at a very young age, and was accepted during her junior year to train under famed ballerina Gelsey Kirkland at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet in New York City. “My dream all of high school/middle school was to move to New York to become a professional ballet dancer,” Patterson recalls. After graduating, she got her first professional contract with a dance company out of Wilmington, NC, where she progressed from trainee to quarter ballet roles. From there, she landed a contract with the Columbia Classical Ballet in South Carolina, doing demi-soloist and lead corps roles. Patterson says she was happy that both companies were located fairly close to home, so she could keep in touch with her tight-knit family.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and all the theaters and dance studios shut down, things were hard for a lot of performers. When dancing opportunities dried up for Patterson, she returned home and moved into the room above her parents’ garage. Though she admits that ballet was her first love, after being a dancer for fourteen years, Patterson was eager to try her hand at something different. “I think I accomplished the things I wanted to as a dancer, and I can put it away and chase after something new,” she says. In mid-2020, Patteron began learning to play the guitar. She also started training with a vocal coach to build up her confidence as a singer, as well as honing her songwriting skills. “This has been a long time coming. I always loved writing songs throughout my whole life, but I never really took it seriously. It was just something I did as an outlet.”

In 2021, Patterson moved to Charlotte, NC where she got a job teaching dance, but still worked to make progress as a musician. One night while attending a songwriters’ round in Gastonia, she met local songwriter and Grammy-nominated producer Nathan Dowdy. The two quickly became friends and even songwriting partners. Before long, the two started dating. During that time, Patterson showed him a song she had been working on called, ‘Mountains.’ She had written the song after hiking in Linville Gorge with her father. “In ballet, you’re dancing 8-10 hours in a closed space, and the studio I was dancing in had no windows. So, it was very nice to be able to feel the wide open spaces,” she says. “I just remember thinking, ‘There needs to be a song about how freeing this feels.’” After Dowdy heard Patterson sing ‘Mountains,’ he encouraged her to record it.

Patterson says she owes Dowdy a great deal of credit for the success of ‘Mountains.’ Not only did he produce it, but also played the guitar, banjo, harmonica, and sang backup harmonies for the track. “He made it into what it is. I’m very thankful for him,” she says. After releasing the song in late 2023, ‘Mountains’ garnered a spot on Spotify’s independent playlist, Indie Folk Central, and generated a substantial following for Patterson herself. This year, she plans to release a few more songs, including: ‘Through the Valley,’ ‘Chasing Windmills,’ and ‘The Best.’ She has also collaborated with Dowdy to form the Folk/Americana band The Riverkeepers, which will be releasing new songs of their own this year. 

Patterson says that for her, songwriting is like journaling. “Dancing has always been a physical way to get out emotion. Writing is almost a clearer way. I can say exactly what I feel, then I can always edit it later, whereas dancing is more up to the viewer to interpret,” she explains. Patterson does admit that switching from dancing to singing was not quite as easy as she had anticipated. She was surprised to find that she was nervous about singing in front of people, after years of dancing before a live audience. “I think in a lot of ways singing is more vulnerable. It’s a completely different world. I’m having to relearn how to perform for people, which has been good because I do like a challenge. If things are too easy, why do them?”

Undeterred by a little stagefright, Patterson is excited to further her artistic process, scheduling multiple live performances throughout the year. “It has definitely captured my heart,” she says of music, adding that she plans to remain in the music industry for many years to come. “I want my music to connect with people. I’ve been to concerts before where music has brought people together and made them feel so much joy. I think if I could give that to people, that would be ‘success.’”

To learn more about Anna Grace Patterson, hear her music, and find out her performance schedule, visit her website: https://www.annagracepatterson.com/