Ana Cristina Cash is bringing the heat in her new music releases this summer. Her new singles “Cheap Margaritas” and “Day Break”, also released in Spanish, will have you in a state of relaxation as you soak in the sunshine. With many Grand Ole Opry performances and The Sunshine State EP Vol. 1 arriving this fall, Ana has given fans lots to enjoy. Ana lives and records in Nashville with her husband and producer John Carter Cash. Her Cuban-American roots and bilingual artistry set her music apart. I was able to talk with her about her Cuban-American upbringing and incorporating her culture into her music. Read on to learn more about her writing and recording process for this EP that she says has been a long time coming.
A Florida Girl At Heart
Ana grew up in Miami, Florida in a bilingual household. Her story and sound are as rich as her heritage, having started her career at age six on Sabado Gigante, later signing with Sony Latin, and becoming the first Hispanic-American to sing the National Anthem at a U.S. Presidential Inauguration. She grew up with many music influences, including female country music as well as Latin singers like Shakira. Now she combines these into her signature sound.
Also influencing her songwriting recently is her Master’s degree from Harvard in Creative Writing and Literature. She had to read and write a lot for the program and says the more you read the better writer you become. She has an unreleased song inspired from a fairy tale class she took and she has been able to bridge poetry with music in her songwriting.
Cheap Margaritas
“Cheap Margaritas” paints the picture of a wild, on-again-off-again romance—fueled by neon lights, late nights, and, of course, cheap margaritas. Ana also released a Spanglish version of the song along with a music video bringing all the latin summer night vibes with margaritas in hand. The music video was shot in a Mexican restaurant and the bar scene in Nudie’s Honky Tonk in downtown Nashville. She felt like it was a fun, flirty, perfect summer song. It pairs well with “Daybreak” and the Spanish version “Un Break” released earlier this month. Watch her Opry performance of the song here.
“You know we’re like the cheap margaritas we’re drinking,
– Ana Cristina Cash
We’re only gonna wake up saying what was I thinking,
We’re drunk on the delicious bittersweet kind of feeling,
The type of thing you say for a night on the weekend,
Cheap margaitas, oh, cheap margaritas.”
The Sunshine State EP Vol. 1
Recorded at the Cash Cabin Studio, The Sunshine State EP Vol. 1 is set to release in September with three songs that have Spanish translations. A lot of it is nostalgic of Ana’s childhood. Along with the previously released pop-country singles, “Last Call,” “Cheap Margaritas,” and “Daybreak,” there is a song about a childhood friend and one about growing up as a Florida girl. She had many songs to pick from that went well together and thinks this is a good collection. This collection of songs has been a three year process between writing, compiling and recording. There will be a Vol. 2 and full record to follow.
Opry Performances
In addition to performing her own music at the Opry, Ana also performs with her husband John to honor her late in-laws, Johnny Cash and and June Carter Cash. Here are a couple videos of their performances at the Grand Ole Opry for Opry 100 honors.
“Hi friends! I wanted to share the full footage of my performance of “Hurt” accompanied by my husband @johncartercash, our amazingly talented friend @chrispereznow , and the incredible band at the @opry from this June, celebrating the work of John Carter’s parents and my late In-laws Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. It was an absolute honor to sing during this very special night for #Opry100 …”Hurt” is a very emotional song for me to sing, and the lyrics and melody of this song have so much depth,” shared Ana on Instagram.
To follow Ana’s music releases and performances, visit her YouTube and Instagram. To stay in the know of new music I’m loving, follow me on Instagram and YouTube and be sure to subscribe!
Farm Girl With Curls 