Pop singer Anna Clendening has always felt more connected to the piano than any other instrument. "Growing up, I always played on the family piano," she explains. "Growing up, I just felt more connected to a real piano versus a keyboard or anything electronic."
In this episode of It Goes To 11, meet Clendening's Baldwin Acrosonic, a versatile instrument that has a special connection to memories from the singer's childhood. While she explains that the particular piano she grew up playing was sold amid her parents' divorce in 2019, she fortunately didn't have to go too long without a piano — her dad gave her the Baldwin Acrosonic as a gift for her 27th birthday in 2020.
"I saw it when he had come into town, and he helped set it up. It was breathtaking," she says, remembering her first experiences with her piano. "I definitely cried when he gave it to me. It has a lot of sentimental value with it, as well as just being an instrument."
Of course, the piano is much more than just a special reminder of her past. Clendening says that her piano is a powerful vessel for songwriting, and making music in general. "While I can write on a keyboard, it's just not the same when you're in a super emotional state and you're writing. It just brings a whole 'nother level to whatever you're writing.
"The piano is an extension of myself," she adds, driving home the full extent of how important the instrument is to her. "And nothing else really matters or exists in that moment."
Press play on the video above to learn more about Clendening's relationship with her Baldwin Acrosonic, and keep checking GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of It Goes to 11.