Yorkville country singer connected to Nashville music scene

Yorkville resident and country musician Annie Vander’s latest video has strong ties to the community that she calls home.

“He Himself & Him” was filmed in part at the Persimmon Room at Whitetail Ridge Golf Club in Yorkville. Vander and her husband, Brian, live in Yorkville.

Her husband is featured as one of the patrons in the video. And in another tie to the area, the video was produced and directed by Plainfield-based Imagination Designers.

She commended the work that the owners of Imagination Designers put into the video.

“They made the process super fun,” Vander said. “They made the process so easy. It was so well directed. We just had a great time. From start to finish, it was a blast.”

Vander loves all the local ties to the video, which Kendall County Now/Record Newspapers is premiering here: youtube.com/watch?v=s4fcx8ejFQ8

“To me, it kind of brings it full circle,” she said.

The song, which recently made its debut on the MusicRow Country Breakout Radio Chart, was written by her producer, David Norris, along with songwriter Cece DuBois. In the video, Vander plays a waitress/bartender seeing the frustrations of other women as they deal with ego-filled men on dates.

The video also features Maria Diclementi, a bartender who works at the Persimmon Room at Whitetail Ridge.

She previously worked at Grace Coffee and Wine in Yorkville, where Vander had hosted open mic nights.

Vander now hosts open mic nights at Whitetail Ridge and elsewhere.

“I really love supporting local talent,” she said. “You get people who are just starting out and you watch them grow.”

Vander is also part of the Nashville music scene. She travels to Nashville with her husband to record and perform music.

Prior to becoming a musician, Vander had worked in the veterinary field as a technician and then had a dog training, pet sitting and dog walking business, Who Wants to Pawty. Her life changed after she shattered one of her wrists following a fall in January 2019 and developed complex regional pain syndrome.

She now is in remission.

“For the most part, I’m pain free, which is great,” Vander said. “I have had moments where I’ve had a flare up.”

After her accident, she turned her sights to being a musician.

“I wanted to dig into music theory and start writing my own songs,” Vander said. “Next thing I know, I’m down in Nashville recording my first song.”

Vander has a musical background. She played clarinet as a child and sang in the school choir.

“I never thought I’d be doing this to try to make a career out of it,” she said.

She talks about her start as a country music artist in her song “Falling Into Nashville.” The song had enough radio play to get her on the Music Row Country Breakout Chart.

Vander grew up in Evergreen Park and her dad still lives in the house she grew up in. She juggles being a musician with working at Plainfield-based Searls Windows and Doors.

“They’re so supportive of my music career,” Vander said.

Her goal is to make music full time and reach as many people as possible.

Just in time for the holiday season, Vander will release her song “Can’t Nobody Kringle” on Nov. 17. She wrote the song with her producer and musician Corey Lee Barker, who goes by the name Christmas Corey on Facebook.

“He has a lot of songs placed in Hallmark and Lifetime movies,” Vander said. “He has so many songs that are synced with major movies.”

She described the song as an “upbeat romantic holiday song.”

More information about Vander is at her website, annievandermusic.com.