Anne, formerly of I Am Harlequin, met Tom Christensen in late 2019 at a house party where they got discussing a mutual love of disco, jazz and an interest to start a new musical project.[2] Christensen and Cantor, who had previously played in the XL Recordings-backed indie band The Collectable Few and toured with Karima Francis as part of her live band for several years, were driven by a desire to create new music that blurred the lines between alt-pop and jazz. This led the three collaborators into the studio to start working on new material.
The trio released their first single 'SMABTO' (Some Mistakes Are Better Than Others), a jazz-infused, dance-pop song in 2020 to positive reviews from The Fader[3] and The Line of Best Fit.[1]
After writing and recording several more tracks in Anne's East London studio, the group began conversations with New York-based mixer-producer Andrew Maury, with Maury later mixing Dance Lessons' new batch of songs.[4] The result was the collective's second single 'New Job'. The music video to the song was shot in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 lockdown by director Sarah Chatfield and premiered in June of 2020 on COMPLEX.[5]
The group's third single 'Just Chemistry', was released in 2021, for which the group was awarded 'Best of 2021' by US music publication Earmilk,[6] which stated, "Despite their newcomer status, Dance Lessons exudes a magnetic, sultry allure that could soundtrack almost any situation." The song was also added to BBC Radio 1's regular rotation, being named Jack Saunders Future Artists[7] 'Tune of The Week' and praised by Jess Iszatt's BBC Music Introducing show as a band who "ooze confidence and sexiness".
In 2021, Anne was featured in Atwood Magazine for Women's History Month, where she discussed being a female producer in a male dominated industry.[8] On July 25th, the band released their debut album Beginners on the Exotic Creatures label; launched with a sold-out show at The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington; a limited 250 LP vinyl pressing also sold out within a week of its release.
