Today we’d like to introduce you to Naty Hernandez.
Naty, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am Naty Hernandez, a singer-songwriter from Medellin, Colombia. Since I was little, I have loved love songs and different musical instruments. I started writing songs when I was eight years old, primarily motivated by the first time I fell in love. Then I started writing songs to every boyfriend. Later, I realized that songwriting was my favorite way to express my feelings. For instance, a song came to rescue me every time I felt broken-hearted. All my friends loved the songs that I wrote about different moments in my life. In fact, my friends helped me in processing my emotions and channeling them into songs.
I love pop music, but I also love traditional music from Colombia because it gives me a sense of nostalgia. I started participating in most of the important traditional music festivals in Colombia but I also studied jazz and classical music in EAFIT, one of the most important universities in my hometown, Medellin. That is why I bring traditional sounds from instruments from all over Latin-America to my songs. During my 13 years old to 18, I played guitar and bass at my highschool band but our music director was a very determined person, he took the best out of me and inspires me to play a lot, I think because of him I was able to achieve many awards as a full scholarship to study in my college’s dream.
In 2015, one of my best friends who knew about my dream of going to Berklee College of Music helped me to complete the application form. I was skeptical but hopeful. Six months later and after my most important interview and audition, I received my acceptance letter. My dream had come true even with my broken English and no idea who to cover my expenses outside my country.
Once I arrived in the United States, the world of songwriting and music business took my focus. This is one of the reasons why I write songs every single day of my life and I work to produce songs one by one. The process has been long but I keep pursuing this as releasing an album is one of my upcoming dreams.
The unique musical experiences in Colombia, together with the education that I have received at Berklee College of Music, have shaped my professional identity as a songwriter. I have written more than 100 songs and truly believe that I have a gift that I am committed to sharing with the world. Now, after graduating, I decided that Miami will have all the inspiration and support I want in my life to continue my career in the Latin-America music industry and I feel so blessed to start working at Art House Studios.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Although the road has not been smooth, I have always found support from different ends that have allowed me to reach different goals. I have always been able to find funds to pay for my education and the production of my music, even though my family could not support me economically. I was awarded a 100% scholarship when I was accepted to Berklee, however, and even though this was a great accomplishment, it left me with a major struggle, finding a way to pay living expenses by myself. I then started to find ways to raise funds, and due to this, I released two albums (“Canciones Esenciales” and “Canciones para Amar y Despedir”) with the help of two friends. I needed to sell as many albums as possible. In addition, I looked for any opportunity to perform while telling everyone about my dream. I performed at different cities and even created Naty Hernandez-themed mugs with my sister’s drawings and the lyrics of my songs on them!
In the end, I could not raise enough funds, but I was committed to fulfilling my dream, so I traveled to Boston anyway. Although I was extremely happy, the first semester at Berklee was tough. I was just beginning to learn English, was away from my family, and my monthly food budget was very low. Let me tell you a funny story. One day I really want ice cream, and usually, ice cream in Colombia costs like less than a dollar. At that time, $5 for ice cream was extremely expensive for me but I decided to go with a friend and buy one even if that meant going out of my budget. The funny and sad part is that after purchasing the ice cream it fell on the floor while we walked on Fenway Park, I could not stop crying. As usual, my friend Agney Muley got me. My friend came to my house the next day… with delicious ice cream.
My mom always reminded me that one-day people got rewarded for all sacrifices. I think I have been rewarded in many ways already. Her support and that of my friends helped me move forward and maintain my faith.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
My music represents the encounter of pop music with Latin-American rhythms. My music is also a journey to the essence of my being, writing songs, and exploring my roots helps me discover who I am and who I want to be. Most of my audience expresses that the collection of songs creates an atmosphere in which they feel nice and relaxed.
Although I’m a songwriter at heart, I enjoy performance greatly. I have performed in different cities such as Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, Panama City, Mexico City, Lima, Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, among others. My focus in the upcoming months will be to release singles step by step. One of my main ideas lies in my passion for raising awareness and encouraging younger generations to take elements of their culture and bring them to today’s music. I enjoy writing songs, and even though I love singing my own work, my final goal is to share it with the world by also allowing others to sing my lyrics. I’m sure I can connect with other people feel and if it helps to release some kind of struggle, I really think my life’s purpose will be accomplished.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me means being able to listen to people singing my songs back, success means feeling that people connect with a lyric that can give them the courage to talk, to step forward, to achieve their dreams.
This means success for me and as soon as I can heal myself and heal others, I’ll be forever grateful. I wish opportunities to write songs with other people and for many different reasons, to support education projects and to bring join, delight, and happiness to the world.
Contact Info:
- Address: 201 SE 2nd Ave Miami, FL 33131
- Website: www.naythernandez.com
- Phone: 8572946444
- Email: natyhernandezoficial@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natyhernandezmusica
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natyhernandezmusica
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/natyhernandezmu
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Yvhy87ivjkQmuo1YbQm4r?si=7OQwGYuCT8a8x8BS_tci5w
Image Credit:
Credit: Andrés Preciado
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