Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nancy Ann. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Nancy Ann thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I feel like I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life so far. I’m the kind of person who does not tread lightly once I make up my mind. No matter what fear stands in my way, if my mind is made up, I’ll pursue it fully. That being said, a fear that hindered me until age 22 was letting others hear my original songs. I’m the type of writer that doesn’t hold much back, and singing my songs to friends and strangers would be like cracking open my personal diary and asking, “want to read a chapter?”.

When I moved from my small town in Ohio down to Knoxville Tennessee, that was the first time I had ever experienced a creative community. I became completely immersed in the music scene here, and for the first time in my life, I felt encouraged to showcase my original works. Before I knew it, my dear friends had rallied a band around me, booked me a venue, and told me to invite everyone I knew to come listen.

I wound up being booked for a “Singer/Songwriter Showcase” at Pretentious Beer by Born & Raised Productions. I was playing a set alongside 3 other powerhouse writers in the community, and was vey convinced my works wouldn’t measure up. I remember rehearsing in the bathroom with the band, and feeling so nervous to the point of nausea. When we walked out on stage and looked over the crowd, I could see co-workers, church acquaintances, dear friends and so many strangers. I remember spinning around and thinking to myself, “what if they think differently of me after this? I guess there’s no turning back now…”

I dove deep and held nothing back that night. I sang every word like it was the first time I’d ever scribbled them. It was so quiet in the room. I knew everyone was listening to me tell my stories of love, loss, mistakes and joys… I didn’t know how to feel about it.

When I finished my final song and said “okay, thats it!”, to my surprise, an “encore!” chant rose above the crowd. Shocked, I looked at my band mates and said “one more?”. They obliged, and when we finished, a second “encore!” chant had me completely floored. Did they actually enjoy this? Were they just being supportive? I giggled and told them maybe another time (I was out of songs). When I popped down into the crowd after the show, I became completely overwhelmed by the stories I was told. The vulnerability I had showed on stage, translated to friends and strangers alike sharing their deepest relatable moments with me; and for the first time, I felt like I had done something really important. Somehow, my songs created a safe space for others to not only feel their emotions, but to share them. People sharing their delicate moments with me is not a privilege I take lightly. and that entire experience changed everything for me.

Taking that risk, sharing my life’s stories through my music for the first time, put me on a trajectory that before I could have only ever dreamed of.

Nancy Ann, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Nancy Ann, I’m 28 years old at the time of this article, and I’m a Singer/Songwriter based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. I’ve been writing songs since I was about 10 years old, but I really started writing them down when I was a sophomore in high school. I still have my very first song book full of girly little scribbles tucked away for a sweet reminder of my passion when I need it. I’ve been a singer and performer since I was 3 years old. My family still jokes about me crawling up on an end table and leading the family in “Happy Birthday”.

I first realized I might have a knack for singing and performance when I won my small town local talent show as a high school freshman. That win jumpstarted my curiosity, and soon singing competitions became my entire identity. I traveled across the country seeing just how far I could make it in every single one I entered. Surely, my local talent show was just a small pool of people and I needed a bigger sample size to see if I was *actually* any good, right?

Before I knew it I was on tour with Ohio Idol, and made it to Hollywood Week during season 13 of American Idol. If I could make it in state and nationals, maybe there really was something to all this?

Since then, I’ve broke into the Tennessee music scene with my own works, and I’d say my musical genre is pop americana. I released my first fully produced single “Coffee & Tea” in January, and my first EP titled “It’s My Time” will be released later this year.

My songs tend to gravitate towards interpersonal relationships and the experiences that shape them. Friendships, lovers, and family members have all played a key role in me becoming who I am today. Writing those stories and feelings down helps me process the good, bad, and in between. I’d say the work I’m most proud of is my song titled “Home”. Home is a song that tells the story of loss, acceptance and perseverance in the quake of losing a parent. The story is about my father, and how he himself felt like home to me. This song in-particular has helped me carry grief in a new way, and helped me remember his unconditional love still lives on within me. This revelation alone keeps me pursuing life in new ways because I know he’s always got my back. It’s a really beautiful thing to be so compelled to keep making someone proud beyond physical existence. I’m grateful to have finally been able to write that song, and it took 7 years of processing to get there.

One day, I’d like my works to serve as a catalog of life experiences that could help other people process their own.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I remember getting the phone call that my dad was in the hospital. I remember pulling over begging my mom to tell me he was okay. I remember throwing up alone in an ICU bathroom, and I remember falling to my knees when the doctors told me he was brain dead.

I remember who caught me when I fell, and I remember them stabbing me in the back when I was at my lowest. I remember the earth continuing to spin like the loss of him was normal, and being angry at the world. I disappeared for months, became a shell of the happy girl I once knew, and pondered the relevance of my existence at all.

I was angry, for a very long time. I lost my dad about a week after my 21st birthday, and I wasn’t ready to grow up. I felt jaded and numb for about 2 years. I self medicated and isolated myself. I remember 9 months in sitting silent in the car with a friend and going “I think I need help”, and her responding with “Well it’s about time”.

I didn’t know where or how to start. I tried therapy, exercise, journaling… nothing helped. I started to think I would never experience life the same way again. And while that is true, I was convinced I’d never feel true happiness again. I thought I was destined for the gloom that followed me, and the sun was no longer a part of my story.

When I moved to Knoxville at 22, I could feel myself start to heal. I started allowing myself to feel my emotions and sit with them. I started learning my dad’s favorite songs on the guitar and crying over them on my living room floor. I spent copious amounts of time alone, but in this season, time alone looked like walks around my apartment complex, making dinner while listening to jazz music, and getting up early to meditate instead of drinking myself into a state of numbness.

I started smiling when I saw wildflowers on the side of the road, and I realized I was experiencing moments of happiness again. While they were lined with tinges of soft sadness, feeling any positive emotion at all was overwhelming for me. I had been in such a terrible place for so long, this all felt brand new again.

For the first time in 2 years, I started sharing about this experience with friends, allowing them to hold space for me. The first time I told the story, I was a sobbing shaking mess, the second time was a little better, and the next a little more calm. I was finally able to talk about it, and seeing the growth in sharing my story gave me some strength. I started meeting more people and sharing my dad and I’s connection to music. I experienced beautiful connections with people who really believed in me, and I let the community lift me up when I was too scared to myself.

I’m so proud of myself for not giving up on life, and now I get to hold others while they walk through darkness. I’m able to articulate feelings in a way that brings comfort, and let others know that one day, things wont feel so heavy. I’m glad I’m here to walk with them through these seasons, and feel like helping others manage and push through grief is a calling for me.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

This is a question I get asked a lot, and my perspective on this has shifted over the years. I have a background in marketing and design. I went to school for it, so for a long time I treated my social pages like a “brand” and not a “person”. It served me well in a “followers” sense, everything was very curated and perfect. I hid the damaged and insecure parts of who I was but screamed my accomplishments from the rooftops. I was able to hold the attention of 12-13,000 people for a time, and then I got annoyed by it all. I essentially disappeared from social media for about 3 years starting in 2019, and when I came back to sharing my life again, I said I was going to do it in an authentic way this time. I knew i was going to lose people doing this, but those weren’t my people. Realizing that an engaged, real, uplifting, supportive community was more accomplished than the number was a huge turning point for me and how I show up in the digital space. I’m now sitting at 9.7k on Instagram, and am so much happier sharing my little joys, tears in my song book, and dedication to healing and helping others.

My advice is… to be real. If you show up as you, your authentic self, the mess and the wounds only make you more magnetic to the people that you’re here to serve. It’s not your job to be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is your job to be unapologetically you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nancyannmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancyannmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyAnnWilsonMusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nancyannmusic
• Threads: @nancyannmusic

Image Credits
Maria Cardillo, Amy Lee, Eli Johnson