“Learning how to breathe when I want to shut down / Pulling up my weeds, making room for regrowth / Plant a seed so I could sprout my dream / I know I’m a quarter-century years old,” Allegra Hernandez belts in the chorus of “In My Heart,” their brand new coming-of-age single.
Personal evolution isn’t a new concept to Hernandez, who came out as queer and later, nonbinary, nearly a decade ago. “In My Heart” not only signifies a new era in Hernandez’s life, as they enter their late twenties, but also marks a departure from their usual sound. While there's still a taste of Hernandez’s signature musical style in it, this single doesn’t sound just like their 2022 debut album, Gift Exchange. Hernandez wanted the song to be driven by the rhythm and come from the heart.
“This song is mostly about having a really big shift in mindset and having a stage of new growth in my life,” Hernandez said. “I wrote this song a while back, interestingly enough. I wrote it in 2023 and kind of just recorded it that year and sat on it a little bit. It represents a shift in my mindset and being able to hold myself up as a stronger and better person.”
That transformation is visually represented in the music video, which was hand-drawn and animated by Hannah Williams. Williams is a Colorado-based artist introduced to Hernandez by Lisette Murphy, a Des Moines artist they knew from their work at Girls Rock! Des Moines. The “In My Heart” music video marks a return to the art of animation for Williams, who studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Williams crafted the “In My Heart” music video in just three months, which is a very quick timeline for a four-minute-long animation. She drew every single frame herself in Procreate Dreams.
“[Hernandez] provided a Pinterest board of inspiration, of other music videos and little animated clips that were kind of in the mood and the vibe of what they were looking for,” Williams said. “We talked about the track and the general theme, the outgrowing your old space and moving on. You know, it's a, maybe a sad, sort of like grieving, painful process, but also a wonderful, expansive thing to move on to a bigger future.
“I sat down and I listened to the track just on repeat until I kind of had a vision of the flow. Then, I put together what's called an animatic, where you just stick together a bunch of still frames that give kind of the tone of where the film is going to go. I got that approved, we had another meeting, and then I had to sit down with myself and map it out because it was such a tight turnaround.”
We talked about the track and the general theme, the outgrowing your old space and moving on. You know, it's a, maybe a sad, sort of like grieving, painful process, but also like a wonderful, expansive thing to move on to a bigger future.Hannah Williams
There are so many beautiful scenes depicted within the “In My Heart” music video, but perhaps the most noteworthy comes towards the end, when Hernandez becomes one with the growing flowers. Growth is, of course, the main theme of the song and its video, which Hernandez has intentionally released in the middle of Pride Month.
“[This song is] talking about evolution and growth, and I think I see that in myself and I feel proud. I am very proud to be working in music and making music as a successful adult. Not only that, being 27, I am making it in a tough world for queer and trans people specifically, and I have pride in this evolution and that I haven't allowed any external things to get me down, even though things have been quite hard, especially this year,” Hernandez said. “But, I felt like this song is like a joyful song and a celebratory song."
"It's not necessarily talking about anything to do with my queerness, but it's something I feel proud of, you know? So I thought it would be really important to share this and share my story of growth and of evolution during this month [Pride Month], especially being a queer adult. It's like, ‘Hey, you can make it this far and you can go even further as well.’”
The “In My Heart” music video celebrates a new era for Hernandez, including releasing more new music soon. It also marks a big comeback for Williams, as she is now making herself available for more new animation projects.
The evolution and growth depicted in “In My Heart” is just the beginning for these blossoming, gifted artists.
