Story and photography by
Annabella Mireles
Location
Magoffin Home State Historic Site
When we think about the music that surrounds us here in the border, we get a combination of cultures that collide, bringing us sounds from singers like Luis Miguel or Juan Gabriel, and others like Dolly Parton or Celine Dion. Melodies know no boundaries, and the collision of sounds we have creates inspiration for artists like Nana Bersa, a 23-year-old singer who signed to Universal Music Publishing Mexico in 2023.
It’s inspiring to hear stories like Bersa’s, a Hannah Montana- best of both worlds experience who was working at the Starbucks at UTEP’s library while simultaneously performing at festivals in Mexico City.
Bersa released her first EP “Cariño” in 2023 while still attending UTEP to pursue a degree in media marketing and a minor in commercial music.
“I used to sing a lot, but I was really shy,” Bersa says. “One of my middle school music professors noticed I had a pretty voice and encouraged me to enter singing competitions. Then in high school, I started uploading videos on Instagram, and encouragement from friends pushed me to start releasing music on my own. I’ve now been doing this professionally for five years.”
With the help of local music producer friends, Bersa writes her own songs and mainly draws inspiration from her relationships.
“I write mostly about love,” she says. “Love is an important part of my life, whether that be family, friends, falling in love, or getting heartbroken – those are experiences everyone goes through.”
Bersa started her musical career singing in English and released her first two songs, “Boy” and “Icedcoffee” in 2020, however, she transitioned shortly after to writing and singing in Spanish.
“The music that I listened to the most was in English even though it’s my second language,” she says. “It’s strange because words come out easier for me in English than they do Spanish, but I realized I had more of a Latin American audience than I did in the United States. I wanted to write more in English, but it was hard for me to connect with non-Spanish speakers, so I switched my writing. “
Bersa grew up in Juarez but moved to El Paso for college and minors in commercial music to hopefully one day be able to manage herself.
With “Cariño” focusing on softer sounds and features songs like “Ya No Quiero Tu Cariño” that relies more on acoustic guitar and distant trumpet; and “Mariposa Bella,” which showcases Bersa’s vocal range are easily songs you could imagine featured in a film soundtrack to a romance in the “will they, won’t they” scenes between the love interests.
For Bersa, this six-track album dives into her love of the border towns she grew up in.
“It’s a blessing to have two cultures in my life,” she says. “No soy de aquí, ni soy de allá” she says, translating to “I’m not from here nor from there,” showing Bersa’s outlook on being a singer and having lived in both Juarez and El Paso.
“I feel like I’m in between, and you can hear that in my music. I use American sounds but Mexican romance.”
Bersa performed for the first time in 2020 for a French band in Juarez and performed later at Foro Indie Rocks!, the Vive Latino festival and has performed about 15 times since. She’s now working on her next album ,which she hopes will be released this year and says it will have a different tone than the lullabye-esque harmonies of “Cariño.”
“It’s going to have a really different sound,” she says. “My first album was inspired by a weird situation-ship I was in, and so I used a lot of acoustics for a more emotional sound. It’s been almost two years since that release and I’m entering into a new era of my life now. My new album doesn’t have the calm vibe that my first album had. This one is more fun, happier and has a dancing feel to it.”
With over 15 releases including collaborations with singer San_Ababish, 13,696 monthly listenerson Spotify, and having signed with Universal Music Mexico Publishing, there is no doubt that Bersa’s music will be making big waves, so, watch out El Paso and Juarez, our local artist won’t be so local soon!
