New Music: Annie Elise – make a wish

New York based musician Annie Elise has experienced some career highs and lows, and they have got her to where she is now, making sublime electro-flavoured dream pop.

A classically trained violinist whose studies were interrupted by focal dystonia in her left hand, Elise also has synaesthesia – in her case, it involves seeing sounds and hearing colour. Though she has returned to music, those life changes led to a job as A&R at Nettwerk! Along the way, she went viral in 2025 along with her husband thanks to a series of short videos they made together.

That’s a lot to live through and be in your twenties, but it has got Elise to a point where she is back playing the violin and working as a string arranger. And with that comes what defines make a wish.

As colourful as it sounds and as bright as it feels, Elise takes a hard look at her hopes and dreams. Coming from a similar direction as Purity Ring and Magdalena Bay, the song doesn’t seem so much cinematic as an excerpt from a PC game. Final Fantasy, though, not World of Warcraft. It’s what makes it so effective – you can see, hear, and feel make a wish, triggering your senses without overpowering them, keeping your company on the dance of life.   

Said Elise on Instagram about the song, “a million people know my face, but almost none of them have heard my songs. as a kid i wished on everything (birthday candles, wishing wells, 11:11, you name it!) to be a famous artist. i only got half of that wish: ‘famous’ and ‘artist’ but not ‘famous artist.’”

“nobody tells you wishes work like that… you can get exactly what you asked for and still be standing in the middle of the room thinking: they’ll notice me for who i REALLY am soon. soon. soon. i wrote make a wish because i still can’t stop wishing, and i don’t really want to!!!

Connect with Annie Elise on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for all the latest news about make a wish plus info on streaming options.