“I don’t have a single style to which I’ll stay forever loyal. I feel most authentic when I can create a soundscape that fits each story and emotion. Songs come to me with a fairly clear direction already, and I don’t try to force them into one specific genre, which is why nearly all my songs are so varied in character.”
– Anna Lea Haamer

Anna Lea Haamer is known mainly as a jazz singer and songwriter whose wide vocal range and ability to sing tastefully and fluidly across different musical styles is strongly reflected in her work, where a great emphasis is placed on vocal playfulness. She draws inspiration for her music from a wide variety of genres – her songs weave together elements of jazz, soul, RnB, funk, fusion, folk, indie, and pop. Her lyrics are often philosophical and reflective, aiming to articulate various experiences and emotions from this world, whether through a humorous lens or a painful realization.
“Inspired by my father, who is a family therapist, I’ve spent my whole life trying to understand and interpret both my own and others’ inner worlds – to accept them and see the beauty and pain in all emotions. I create songs and lyrics mostly with the aim of capturing a recurring thought in my head and putting it in a ‘jar,’ so to speak – so I can observe and analyze it from the side without constantly twirling it around in my mind.”

In 2019, the ensemble Anna Lea Haamer Quintet was formed with the aim of recording the singer’s debut album. The debut album “Prospects” was released in December 2020, and its title track remains one of the singer’s most listened-to songs to this day.

In 2023, the Anna Lea Haamer Quintet participated in the Tudengijazz festival program. Their concerts were successful and marked an important milestone in the singer’s journey as a jazz musician.
A review in the Estonian cultural newspaper Sirp wrote:
“Among the songwriters at this year’s ‘Tudengijazz’, Anna Lea Haamer’s distinctive style stood out the clearest.”
(Sirp, March 17, 2023 – Marje Ingel)

In 2024, the singer’s second studio album “Public Transportation” was released. The album features 10 original compositions in which the singer explores the boundaries of different styles, including soul, fusion, RnB, folk, and jazz. The artist herself has described the album as an eclectic selection of work that most authentically represents her both as a musician and as a person.

Anna Lea’s musical journey began at the age of five in Tartu, when she started studying violin at the Heino Eller Music School. After a ten-year journey as a violinist, she decided to continue her studies in jazz vocals at the same institution. As a jazz vocalist and musician, she has studied under pedagogues such as Ursel Oja, Mare Väljataga, Jenny Robson, Katja Aakkula, Aija Puurtinen, Mikko Helevä, Sami Linna, Nathan Thompson, Kadri Voorand etc. After completing her jazz studies at the Heino Eller Tartu Music College, she continued her education at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and later at the Sibelius Academy in Finland. In 2025, Haamer spent an ERASMUS exchange year in Aveiro, Portugal, where she developed her arranging skills under the guidance of saxophonist João Martins.

Anna Lea Haamer has performed at various local jazz clubs as well as at festivals such as Mailaul, IDeeJazz, Tartu Student Days, Tudengijazz, and Juu Jääb. In 2025, the singer performed in Portugal as part of the Campus Jazz festival on three different stages alongside internationally renowned musicians such as drum virtuoso Jeff Ballard – with whom Haamer’s original compositions were also premiered – as well as with trombone virtuoso Kristian Persson (Nine Sparks Riots) in big band settings, and acclaimed jazz composer and saxophonist Ben Wendel.

Since 2020, Anna Lea has been working as a vocal teacher at the Laulupesa singing studio in Tartu, and in Estonia she can primarily be heard performing her original music in duo or trio format as part of the Estonian Jazz Union programme.