Annika was born third from the top in a family of four kids, her brothers were seven and three years older than her. Her father was a prominent journalist with a column in several New Zealand papers. Her mother was an artist who loved to travel, and Annika inherited her wanderlust. She also inherited her father�s love of reporting and a knack for music. She learned to play the viola, then the piano and finally the clarinet. Her two brothers started a small classical group with her, in which they played the chello and oboe. When her sister (four years younger than her) was old enough, she too joined in their group playing the flute and later the organ. They called themselves �Unstrung Classics� and preformed at their church often.
Homeschooled, Annika was allowed to pursue her interests whichever way they went. In her teenage years, an avid talent in photography was discovered and she set aside her instruments in favor of lenses, tripods and a blackroom. The group �Unstrung Classics� would only assemble again for family gatherings and holidays. Annika took to making calenders for her family, as well as taking photos for her father�s column. When she graduated highschool, her father�s paper offered her a part time photojournaling position, which she took to help pay for college.
She took a major in journalism with minors in speech and music. After two years, she transferred to another college where she met Darren Hayes, who would become a good friend to her. She and Darren shared a love of music and he showed her how to play the guitar. He also told her his own ambitions of starting a band. They became very quick friends and even dated for awhile. They dated on and off after they both graduated, until Darren met Colby (who, disliking Annika as a rival) asked him not to see her anymore. Annika decided to take a tour of Australia and Tasmania, taking pictures and selling them to
whatever papers were available. She also wrote breif stories and never stayed in one place too long. She and Darren lost touch for several years and she then returned to New Zealand.
She heard of Darren�s success in his band, �SavageGarden,� and after hearing about his divorce and the break-up of the band, she decided to try and see him while taking a tour of the United States. It took her a while to track him down, eventually coming to Los Angelos. There she met Michael Krakov again--a young man she�d met in Brisbane several years ago, and again in San Fransisco--and began to date him once more while settling into a semi-permanent residence of California. |
