Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Sofia.
Hi Ana Sofia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was four years old my dad enrolled me in piano lessons, partly because I was always humming and singing the songs he would play. He’s a musician, too, so for him it was like a rite of passage that I learn an instrument. At first, I remember being so excited to learn. But that initial excitement was immediately squashed when my teacher started teaching me classical music and some music theory. Think about it … What four-year-old wants to sit through that? I can barely get through a lecture about music theory now and I’m 16! So, a few months after I started those lessons, I quit and didn’t pick up an instrument again for some time. After that experience, when I was nine years old my school put on the musical “Aladdin Jr.” I remember being too shy at the time to audition for the lead role of Jasmine, so I ended up being a part of the music ensemble. Being a part of that show was exhilarating because I remember being so happy to be singing and dancing in all the songs. I didn’t care that I wasn’t the lead role, or that I wasn’t one of the more important characters. I realized that I loved performing, and that it truly was my first love.
A couple of years later the Covid-19 pandemic happened, and along with it came complete boredom. During quarantine I was so sick of not having anything to do that I asked my dad for a guitar. He owns Blues Vintage Guitars, Inc., in Donelson, so it was pretty easy to just pick one. He ended up giving me my black Gibson Dove, which I’m pretty sure is a 1984 model. From day one I absolutely fell in love with that guitar, and from there I decided to learn my favorite song, which at that time was “everyone at this party” by Camila Cabello. I found a few videos on YouTube and learned the song in about 10 minutes. From then on I couldn’t put the guitar down. And shortly after that is when I started writing my own songs. At first I was heavily inspired by Olivia Rodrigo when she first came out. I thought she was so cool, and later found out she started out just like me, writing nonsensical lyrics and then the music. I thought to myself that I could do that too, and it turned out that I could.
When I was in 7th grade, my math teacher Ms. Edwards (now Mrs. Beach) convinced me to try out for my school’s talent show. I remember feeling so nervous about performing in front of my entire school, and I almost didn’t audition. I think it was the way she believed in me, without even knowing if I could sing at all. I ended up making it through all of the auditions and then performed for my classmates. It was thrilling and so scary at the same time. But something lit up inside of me and I realized just how much I still loved performing. The next year really brought it all together for me with singing and performing when I landed the lead role of Annie in “Annie Jr.” I loved acting with all of my friends, and it only made my love for the stage even bigger. That same year The Nashville School of the Arts High School visited my school and talked to us. From there I was hooked and realized that I wanted to learn more guitar and act in more musicals. Later that year I auditioned for NSA, and in the Spring of 2023 I learned that I got in. I haven’t looked back since.
Since coming to NSA I’ve met so many talented people, many of whom have become some of my closest friends. I am beyond grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given to perform and keep writing songs. The first show I was involved in was during my Freshmen year. It was an original take on “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” We based it in the ‘90s and kept the Shakespearean writing and turned it into a musical. I was the main female singer for the live band. It was during that musical that I met most of my closest friends. I am forever going to miss that show because it really opened my eyes to all of the amazing things that I would eventually become involved with for my overall high school experience.
Also, during my sophomore year a friend suggested that I audition for Rocketown’s “Got Talent” talent show. They came to my school for the auditions and got back to me a few months later via email and told me the judges liked me enough to send me to the next level. I was honestly in shock. I never thought of auditioning, much less performing in any sort of talent competition. But in March 2025 I competed against a large group of incredibly talented teens from all over Nashville, some of who I still talk to today. I sang one of my original songs for both the audition and the competition, and when it was over I thought it was a great experience and I was getting ready to head home. But that’s when they called my name out as the winner of the entire talent show, and I remember my jaw dropping in shock. It was completely surreal, and I couldn’t believe I had won. When they called out the third place and second place winners, I was so sure one of the other singers had won. I’m still so thankful that I had that opportunity to compete, and I really hope that it’s just one big step on my way to turning all of this into a career that I can be proud of.
All of this has led up to where I am right now. Just this past Friday [Oct. 24, 2025], I had the opportunity to play The Ryman Auditorium with my friends in the NSA Stage Band. We opened up for Jason Isbell and his band, The 400 Unit. It was by far my biggest performance yet. I was on that stage for the entire opening set. I sang backup vocals for the first five songs and then got to sing two of my original songs, all to a sold-out crowd at The Ryman, and it was most amazing feeling I’ve ever experienced. Being backstage at The Ryman, experiencing a real sound check, getting ready for the show, and somehow staying the calmest I’ve ever been, was nothing short of a miracle. All of that and it was honestly the most comfortable I’ve ever felt on stage. Performing for such a passionate crowd and then having my friends and family to celebrate it all with me after the show, was all so amazing! I had so much fun playing that show. After our set was over and we were hanging out among the crowd and watching Jason Isbell and his band, we all had such a blast. People were congratulating us left and right, and it felt completely surreal. I remember right after we finished our set I immediately started crying. It was all happy tears because I was, and still am, so thankful for that incredible opportunity. I am forever grateful to my teacher Mr. Ryan Murphey and my friends for going with me on this journey. I can’t wait to see where all of this takes me next. I always dreamed of playing that stage, and hopefully it’s not the last time I play The Ryman.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’d have to say that it’s been a relatively smooth ride so far. The only bumps in the road I’ve faced have been my own thoughts. I’m always thinking, “What if I don’t make it?”, “What if I’m not good enough?”, “What if I’m not meant to do this?” It’s the worst thing I can do to myself. This gets so stuck in my head that sometimes I get really nervous and my hands and knees start shaking and it causes a wave of anxiety to come crashing down on me. You’d think because I love what I do, I wouldn’t be so nervous. But for me it’s the exact opposite. I know I’m good at what I do, and I’m fairly certain that I can make a career out of it. In fact, I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. For me the next step is truly believing that I can make it, and I think I’m finally getting to that point.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My songwriting and knack for good hooks and melodies is what I love, but my songwriting process always differs. Sometimes it’s a melody first, sometimes it’s lyrics or a hook, and sometimes it’s a chord progression. I go back and forth writing lyrics in my notes app on my phone, but also on paper. Also, most of the time I’m never writing from a perspective of experience. I think that’s a big thing about me that’s different and sets me apart from other songwriters. I can tell stories and let the listeners interpret my lyrics in the way they hear it, and how it suits them in that moment in order to understand them. My stories are sometimes inspired by something someone I know is going through, or maybe the plot of a TV show or movie, and even just things that people around me say. I love the way inspirations click that way for me. It could be the most random thought or phrase, and my brain will think, “That’s poetic and simple. Use it.”
There are only a few songs of mine that are inspired or about something I’ve gone through. Most recently I went through my first break up. I’ll admit I wasn’t in love, but I was thinking about my situation all the time, and always at the most random moments. It took me almost three months to get my feelings out on paper. In a way, longing like this is complex. A month after my breakup I thought I was over it. Then through a mutual friend I heard he was going to ask out another girl. My eyes immediately welled up with tears, and I couldn’t understand why. A few hours after I cried it out, I grappled with the fact that it wasn’t because I still wanted him at all. It was because I was hurt that it was so easy for someone I cared about to lose feelings for me. That may sound self-centered and insensitive but it’s true. I’d never felt like that before and for the first time I wrote from experience, so for that I am grateful. I got a song out of it so in that sense all life experiences, whether they feel gut wrenching or incredible, can be turned into anything you want it to be.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I believe patience is the most important thing I’ve had to learn. Albeit I am still not very keen on waiting for things to happen, I’m learning along the way how to wait for these moments to mean something. Just because I’ve played a lot of shows doesn’t mean I’m a star. I have to wait for someone else to see my potential and to believe in me. I have to wait for someone else to think I’m talented enough for this industry. I think that’s where my self doubt starts to creep in and gets the best of me. It hasn’t happened yet and I can only hope that one day it does. I can only wish that someday I meet someone who thinks I’m good enough. I think it will happen, but the reality is that you simply never know. So I’m learning to take things one day at a time. My dad always tells me that, too.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @anasofiasheartandsoul
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-532192102/thinking-about-you
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-532192102/goodbye-darlin
Image Credits
All photos were taken by either Ana Sofia Hernandez or Gabriel Hernandez (dad), except for the photo from The Ryman, which was taken by Kelly Pruitt (last photo with me in the blue dress and cowboy boots). We have permission from her to use her photos. She took photos for all of us and shared them with everyone at NSA.
