Hey community! Here's a backstory on what this campaign is all about....

Jason (my partner and drummer) and I decided to move to France in November 2017 because we wanted a change. We wanted to build a life together somewhere new, but in a part of an older world. We landed in the rural countryside of France; the Aveyron Department, in a tiny village called Najac. The reason we ended up there was because back in 2015, I did an artist residency in a tiny village near the Pyrénées called Betchat. I fell in love with the countryside and it got in me. Jason and I rented a car at the end of that residency and drove around rural France. Our car got stuck in the small village of Najac, as did our hearts. When we returned back to Chicago, I immediately started looking for homes for sale and found a house for sale online that was affordable and spoke to us; well, maybe just me at the time but he came around after he was on tour and went and visited the home for himself. We could envision ourselves making music in this house, so we decided to go for it. What followed were some incredibly difficult moments, but all the while we were being cushioned in a small village which became a refuge for us.

During the pandemic we recorded at home our first record under a new name, AM Higgins. Jason thought we should put my name forward and I saw the value in it as my father was an awesome musician who died far too young of cancer, at the young age of 35. Performing with his last name feels right. We shared these new recordings with a new French friend who shared it with one of his friends who wanted to start a record label. He met with us and put that record, "Hymning," out on his label. It was really incredible for me to be supported in that way and I will always be grateful for his support. He helped us secure a booking agent and publicist in France and we began touring all around France. I was so struck at the attentiveness and authentic curiosity of the audiences in France. Those audiences inspired me to want to be more open-hearted.

After touring a bit we set to record our second record, "The Dream Trap." Some dear friends of ours in our tiny village of Najac let us set up shop in her barn for a month. It was a magical time of hard work and inspiration. I started using my voice on the recordings to bring to life little sounds and textures that I was hearing and feeling. I also composed the bulk of the arrangements, which was such a thrill. I felt so much joy in being able to bring to life ideas that I was hearing. We were fortunate to get connected to We Are Unique Records, a record label based in Toulouse run by Gérald Guibaud--and a community which has been championing the work of so many artists for 25 years now. They released "The Dream Trap" last year, in 2025. What followed from that record was a tour around Europe with Nadine Khouri and My Brightest Diamond; two women whose presence ignited what is good and true in me as an artist. They both affirmed the music I was making and without knowing it showed me that what I'm doing has deep value. Up until this point, I was working for other artists, supporting their work, but not prioritizing my own. Part of why living in France has been so incredible for us is because in our time here we have felt so nurtured and held, as artists. The value that this culture has for music and the arts inspires me and it's taught me more about the idea of a community.

Taking the inspiration that I found from touring in 2025, I set out to start writing a new batch of songs. 2025 was a hard year for so many of us. So much coming at us all the time as so many systems in the world are being questioned and dismantled. As a songwriter, it feels like my job to take the temperature around me and then interpret it through my voice.

With that in mind, this new record will be called "Tender Mercies." With these songs, I am exploring the idea of tenderness as strength, through a feminine lens. It’s a collection of songs that uses the feminine voice as a way to reshape the world that we want to live in; a way to usher in a new world–where the feminine spiritual voice comes forward to heal and love. I want to offer and give something of value back to the community that has held us as artists from our days back in Chicago through our time in France; I want to give songs and sounds that promote release and healing. They will be imperfect, raw, tender, intimate and honest. There will be a song written by my dad. It's a sort of full circle record.

I am asking for help from our community to bring this record to life. In January of this year, we had the good fortune to be able to return to the same barn where I did the residency, near the Pyrénées. The couple who own the barn opened up their home and piano to us at no cost–and we set up shop for 10 days and recorded 14 songs; mostly on piano and drums and some on synth.

This record is a point in life where I’ve come full circle now by returning to the barn that originally sparked my love for France and the idea to move here. The entire road and every point in between has been filled with struggle and challenges alongside such tenderness and mercy; allowing me to explore in a much deeper sense what it means to share this gift. My gift is my songs. I want to reach out and involve you all, the community that has nurtured me as an artist, to be a part of this record's birth. The money raised will help pay for the collaborators that we are working with: Black Diamond (saxophone duo) playing on 5 songs, Paul Bessenbaucher (bassist) playing on 8 songs, Tana Barbier (mix engineer), guitarist, Sylwia Perczak (album artwork). Anything beyond the amount to cover those expenses will go towards the promotion of the record, which we aim to release in the fall of this year. The record label will cover the manufacturing costs--the making of CDs, and help with the fundraising campaign in France.

Every donation amount is greatly appreciated!

*According to the rules of GoFundMe, we are not allowed to offer anything in exchange for donations made to this campaign.

With immense gratitude,

Annie