Abrina has never been interested in becoming the artist other people expect her to be. As a Mexican-American singer, there was an early assumption that she would make Latin music. Instead, she followed the sound that felt most honest: dreamy, soulful R&B shaped by old-school influences, California nostalgia and a refusal to stay in one box.
Music entered her life early. She performed with her grandfather’s band, sang at family gatherings and moved from San Diego to Los Angeles at just 17 after winning a singing competition at Universal CityWalk. Since then, that leap has taken her much further than she could have imagined. “Pleasure,” featuring RINI, has surpassed three million streams, “Fallback” became a Top 10 hit in the Philippines, and her music has found listeners everywhere from Germany to Tokyo.
But after releasing her 2025 EP Sunset Cliff, Abrina began to feel creatively stuck. Los Angeles had become too familiar, too busy and, in her words, too driven by ego. A trip to Nashville offered the reset she needed.
The first song to emerge from that experience was “End of the World,” a rawer meeting point between her California R&B roots and the grit she discovered in Nashville. Inspired by a relationship that makes the surrounding chaos feel quieter, the track also carries Abrina’s anger over ICE’s actions against Mexican-American communities. It is personal, romantic and political without separating one feeling from another.
In this 18 Questions Q&A, Abrina discusses leaving home at 17, the grandfather who taught her to sing with soul, escaping the creative circles that were holding her back and why success in this next chapter would mean finally embarking on a tour of her own.
1. What’s the first thing you usually do when you wake up in the morning?
I try not to reach for my phone and check my emails or messages, but it’s so hard and I always end up doing it. The goal is to wake up, pray and get my ass to the gym first thing.
2. What’s one thing you can’t live without right now?
Grilled pineapple with cinnamon. It’s addictive!
3. What’s a song you wish you had written yourself?
“Die with a Smile.” I just feel like it’s such a masterpiece.
4. What’s the last thing that made you laugh properly?
One of my cousins fell asleep in the car and started talking in her sleep. She started saying some wild, freaky stuff, and my cousin and I just started dying laughing. I must have laughed for an hour straight, with tears going down my face.
5. What does your perfect day off in Los Angeles look like?
I love just being by the beach. I have a little Sunday routine where I ride bikes by the beach, sit and occasionally take a nap on the beach, and then afterwards head to the bar for some food and a drink. I also think LA has a lot of really great museums that I enjoy on days off too.
6. What’s something people often misunderstand about you?
When I first started music, because I’m fully Mexican-American, people kept expecting me to do Latin music. I love Latin music and enjoy infusing my culture into my music, but at my core, I am an R&B girl. I was raised on oldies, and my favourite artist of all time is Stevie Wonder. I also never wanted to be put in a box. I’m experimental and love being ambiguous and creative with my music.
7. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
If there’s not a seat at the table for you, make one. Ultimately, people are going to overlook you. You will hear “no” many times, and I have heard “no” many, many times, but I always keep going and keep pushing.
8. If you weren’t making music, what do you think you would be doing?
I would be an animal and ocean conservationist. I always dreamed of doing animal and ocean conservation work. There are many programmes online to join; I’ve just got to find the time, buckle down and do it.
9. You began performing with your grandfather’s band when you were 13. What do you remember most clearly about those early performances, and how much of him remains in the artist you are today?
I actually sang at a big family reunion when I was eight, and he used to make me sing to him all the time when I was even younger. I remember him pushing me to sing with more soul and passion. I didn’t appreciate it then, but now I look back and think, man, he was pushing me because he really believed in me.
He gave me my first guitar too, years ago. I’m just glad we had those moments together. He lives in my music for sure. The soul, the passion and, above all, the love for music really first came from him.
10. Winning a singing competition at Universal CityWalk inspired you to move to Los Angeles at just 17. Looking back, did you understand how much that decision would demand from you?
I was really scared and nervous. I was still really shy in my teenage years, but I got so lucky to have really supportive parents who helped me out a lot. Looking back, I didn’t understand how big a deal that was and had so much to learn.
11. You travelled to Nashville after releasing Sunset Cliff because you wanted to reset and work with new people. What did you feel was missing from the way you had been creating in Los Angeles?
I just felt like I was stuck in the same circles and relying on the same people. I was losing my creative edge. I wasn’t excited enough for a period of time in LA. Everyone is also so busy in LA and caught up in their own worlds. I was just chasing something new and real. LA is also the land of egos, and I needed a break.
12. You’ve said Nashville felt less concerned with numbers and label deals and more invested in your vision. Did that experience change what you now expect from the people you make music with?
Yes, absolutely. I want to work with people who are as excited as I am about working on my music. I only want to work with good people who have good energy and understand the vision!
13. “End of the World” combines the desire to escape everything happening around you with the comfort of being beside someone who makes it feel less overwhelming. What first unlocked that idea for you?
It’s my real life. I’m seeing someone who really makes me feel this way. When I was working in Nashville, I told myself, “I’m going to write exactly everything I’m feeling at that moment.”
14. The song was partly shaped by the fear and anger caused by ICE’s actions within Mexican-American communities. As an artist, how do you decide when something deeply personal or political needs to enter your music?
This is the first song that came from my anger about our politics and current state. I’ve never done this before. I’m pretty vocal in my social media posts and stories, though. I definitely get political, but it’s necessary. I’m pissed off, as we all should be. I feel like real life needs to be in art, so who knows? It will probably happen more with my music.
15. Pete recorded “End of the World” in his home studio, bringing a rawer country influence into your dreamy R&B sound. Was there a moment during those sessions when you realised you had found a new direction?
Absolutely. I just knew the real, raw grit that he brought to my sound was going to be something to keep building on. I also want to give Pete his flowers because that man played the chords first in the session, then hopped on guitar and then played some drums. He can play everything! He’s a true musician, and I really appreciate him.
16. Your music carries a strong sense of California nostalgia, while your latest work emerged from Nashville. How are those two places beginning to coexist in your sound?
Cali R&B will always be there. Everywhere I go, I’m always seen as that San Diego girl. I will always experiment, but my Cali vibe will still be there somewhere.
17. From “Pleasure” passing three million streams to “Fallback” becoming a Top 10 hit in the Philippines, your music has travelled far beyond California. Which response from listeners has surprised you the most?
I’ll never forget the moment when I performed on the other side of the world in the Philippines and people were singing along with me. I’m just surprised they know my songs and listen to me. I’m surprised when people from Germany or Tokyo message me about my music.
It’s pretty crazy when you think about it. It makes me feel really blessed and grateful.
18. After being chosen by Jermaine Dupri for TIDAL’s Collaborations contest and entering 2026 with plans to release music almost every month, what would make this next chapter feel genuinely successful to you?
A tour. I haven’t done my own tour and haven’t toured in a while. That’s definitely what I’m trying to accomplish at some point when the time is right.
“End of the World” is out now
