Between Mountains and Music: Kohanna's Colorado Inspired Coming Of Age

If you haven't had the pleasure of listening to her music, let me introduce you to Kohanna. This lyrical queen has been drawing influence from all around the country, hailing originally from Virginia, then leaving her creative mark in Nashville and Colorado before landing in Austin where she's breaking into the music scene at full force.

I was lucky enough to sit down with her for a chat about her newest album, Colorado: Side A and learn so much about her experiences in the industry, her lyrical genius, and what to look forward to on Colorado: Side B!

While her music career technically started in high school, her first big entrance into the industry started in Nashville, where she studied songwriting. After gaining some great experience in writers' rounds and events like Music Row Freak Show, Kohanna pivoted her focus onto a new section of the industry, switching her studies to marketing and making the move to Colorado.

How does a college student have the time, energy, and resources to make a double sided project? For Kohanna, she had an incredible team behind her. During our interview, she raved about her two best friends, Jackson Ledbetter, a childhood friend and music producer, and Lucia Johnson, who works as her photographer/videographer, even stating that "it's just the three of us and they've really helped me build everything. I couldn't do it at all without them".

Colorado: Side A is out now, hailing from her experiences living in the Colorado mountains. While talking about her roots, Kohanna expressed how important her experiences in each location she's lived were to her music, drawing inspiration from the popular genres of each area. For Colorado, she says that "a lot of my visuals are taken at the mountains... it feels very authentic like grassroots almost". However, it was important that she stayed true to herself while making this album. Despite the bluegrass influence from Colorado, it was important that she didn't limit herself to one genre and keep her original sound and influence in the music.

Lyrically, this album was important for her to write. Her time in Colorado spoke to her coming of age. "It's about coming into myself and understanding who I am as a woman. There was so much change I went through at this time," Kohanna explained, "I stepped away from music and then stepped back into it." This was the indicator to me that this album was going to be incredible. When someone releases the project that led them back to music, the vulnerability surrounding their passion shines through in each track. That's exactly what this album speaks to.

Speaking on coming of age, Kohanna let us in on the song that, for her, feels like the coming of age anthem on Colorado: Side A. "This might be like I hit the nail on the head too hard, but I just did a visual with a Perks of Being a Wallflower soundbite and I put it over Comatose," continuing, she says "It's a really freeing song, I think about driving through the mountains or being a bird, flying over the mountains. It fits the sound of Side A very well".

We got a peek into Colorado: Side B that comes out later this year. Kohanna talked about the contrast between the two parts, "There are two very distinct sounds between the two, and it's really cool to see how they've taken shape," continuing to say that, "I'm a Gemini, so there's always two sides of me. I like playing around with that imagery and showing the two facets of my music". She goes on to talk about the contrast between the two sides, stating that Side A is much more of a wintery vibe, very much built for February. It's dreamy and acoustic. Whereas Side B is a littel more upbeat and hard-hitting, containing more country influence.

Despite the contrasting sounds of both sides of Colorado, she reassures fans that it was so important that her voice stayed consistent throughout both parts. She's confident that fans can enjoy both parts, despite any genre preferences. For Kohanna, her voice and lyrics are the lasting impact she'd like to make, "I'd like people to be able to hear my music and really remember my voice."

Finally, Kohanna talked about what she wants fans and others in the industry to be able to take away from her music, stating that "I want to be really transparent about it, no one else is going to be transparent about [the music industry]". She tells about wanting to be an influence for those younger than her and starting into the industry. As well, she wants to remind women that "we're always here for each other. I want women to remember how strong they are and how much they bring to the table". Finally, for everyone listening "music can have a deep explanation, but I just want people to enjoy it".

If you're in Austin, check out Kohanna's upcoming performances at Austin Garden and Studio on February 28th and at Stubbs Indoors on March 26th!

Check out Colorado: Side A below and keep up with Kohanna on instagram.