Following a lifetime of professional dance, a passion for music, and a few years in the studio, 21-year-old artist Hannah Fernando debuts her first two singles on new imprint, The Earth School. Her first track, “Universal Love,” dives into the spectrum of love and the way it’s expressed harmonically between people, and her second single, “Satori,” out today, manifests the meaning of its namesake: a state of sudden enlightenment. Working at the convergence of organic and inorganic sound, Fernando builds her mature, moving, electronic sound using live drum machines, emotive melodies, and percussion recorded in nature around Los Angeles, California, where she lives and works as a member of Team YTTP. Below, check out “Satori”—and Hannah’s take on the Youth Questionnaire.
Question 2: What will your greatest impact be on this earth?
I hope my impact will be creating art that makes people feel moved and inspiring them to do the same. I think creativity is so important for humans no matter what the form is. I think of it as a two-way street that brings happiness to both the creator and receiver. One of my favorite feelings is when someone's art really touches me and I can just appreciate it in every way. My art right now is making music. :)
Question 3: Where are you most free?
I feel most free when I’m alone in a dance studio listening to music and meditating. I danced for most of my life so there’s so much comfort that comes from being in the studio, but the freeing part is that I’m all alone and there’s always serene energy in the space. I could lay in savasana for hours and just listen to music and my thoughts. It’s really special when I get time like this—I need to do it more often!
Question 10: Describe your relationship with your ego.
I guess the best way to describe it would be ever-evolving acknowledgement! I just finished reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth (if you haven’t read it yet go do it). It took me over a year to finish it because I wanted to be fully present anytime I read it. He writes a lot about the ego and gives really great insight around it. It definitely sparked a new awareness that changed my relationship with my ego over the past year. I’ve been practicing acknowledging when my ego acts up and observing why that is. Of course, there are still times it gets the best of me. I’m working on it and always will be, but I’m quicker to see when it’s my ego causing me to feel a certain way and how I can move past that.
Question 12: To you, what is the most soothing sound?
An acoustic guitar. Whether I was willingly listening to it or not, I grew up with my older brother constantly playing his guitar, and manyyy other instruments, in his room right next to mine. I always loved when he played his acoustic guitar—it’s so soothing and beautiful to me. Any song I hear with one in it I instantly am drawn to.
Question 13: What is your most useful affirmation?
This isn’t really an affirmation but something I always keep top of mind! I find it really helpful to remind myself how exciting it is to learn. It’s impossible to know everything and I like that there are endless opportunities to grow and expand my knowledge. I’m a sponge and love learning about new ideas, perspectives, or concepts. If there’s something I hear that I don’t know much about I’ll instantly go google it to learn more. A lot of times if I feel imposter syndrome creep up I just remind myself that we’re all students on this planet. Even the teacher is still a student of something.
Question 19: If your energy were visible to others, what would it look like?
My energy’s a rainbow 🌈 I had an aura polaroid photo taken maybe two years ago and it came out as a perfect rainbow. I’m super interested to take a new one and see if my energy has changed since then.
