Ana Kahan’s debut single “Hotel” is more than a haunting track; it’s a mirror held up to a moment of painful clarity, wrapped in glamour and shadow. But behind the elegance of her music is a voice shaped by survival. After battling cancer twice and facing the loss of her own vocal cords, Ana’s return to the stage is nothing short of extraordinary. In this deeply personal conversation, we explore the story behind Hotel, how illness reshaped her artistry, and why reclaiming her voice—literally and creatively—marks the true beginning of her musical journey.

Nicolle: “Hotel” is such a haunting and evocative title. What inspired the song, and what story or emotion were you trying to capture when you wrote it?

Ana: “Hotel” was inspired by a relationship that, on the surface, seemed glamorous and exciting—like staying in a beautiful hotel—but underneath, it was empty and transactional. I mistook luxury and grand gestures for love, only to realise I was just another guest, never truly at home. The song captures that bittersweet realisation—being drawn into something intoxicating yet ultimately unfulfilling. It’s haunting because it reflects when you wake up and see things clearly, but you’re still tangled in the feeling. I wanted the music to reflect that push and pull, the allure and the sadness, almost like a dream you don’t want to leave, even when you know you should.

Nicolle: You’ve been through an incredibly intense journey—two battles with cancer and a paralysed vocal cord. How has that shaped your relationship with your voice, both literally and artistically?

Ana: Going through cancer twice and losing my voice to a paralysed vocal cord completely changed the way I see music and myself as an artist. For a while, I didn’t even know if I’d ever sing again, and that kind of loss forces you to reevaluate everything—who you are without the thing that defines you, and what you truly want if you get a second chance. My voice isn’t the same as it was before, but in a way, I think it’s more honest now. There’s a rawness to it, a depth that comes from having fought so hard just to be able to sing at all. Artistically, I just want to tell my story in the most real way possible. Every note I sing now feels like a privilege, and that’s made me more fearless in my music.

Nicolle: There’s a quiet strength and emotional depth in your music. How does your experience with survival and healing inform your songwriting process?

Ana: Thank you for that—I think survival and healing have made me approach songwriting with a different kind of honesty. When you go through something life-altering, there’s no room for pretense. Every emotion feels magnified, and you learn to sit with the uncomfortable truths instead of running from them. For me, writing music has been a way to process everything—grief, hope, love, loss. It’s like putting all those emotions into something tangible so they don’t just live inside me. I think that’s why my songs tend to have a quiet strength—they come from real, unfiltered moments of vulnerability, but there’s also resilience in them. Because at the end of the day, even the hardest stories can turn into something beautiful.

Nicolle: You studied vocal performance at the Frost School of Music—what role did that environment play in your evolution as an artist? Did your time in Miami influence your sound in any way?

Ana: In all honesty, I didn’t get to spend as much time at Frost as I would have liked. Most of my college experience was spent at home dealing with my health, and when I was at school, it was emotional knowing how much I had missed—making connections with my peers, learning valuable lessons in real time. Studying vocal performance was especially difficult because, for many of those months, I didn’t even have a voice. That being said, I still loved Frost and was fortunate to have incredible teachers, mentors, and friends along the way. And while my time in Miami wasn’t shaped in the way I originally imagined, it still gave me a lot of life experience—both the joy of the city and the challenges of re-entering a social world after being away for so long. All of that, in some way, has found its way into my music.

Nicolle: After everything you’ve been through, what was the moment you realised you were ready to share your voice with the world again? Was there a turning point?

Ana: It really helped once people started believing in me—it made me start believing in myself again. My senior year of college was the first time I was able to truly experience a full school year in Miami, and that’s when I slowly started stepping back into music. I began singing again with my voice teacher, performing around the city, and doing sessions with my classmates. Once I proved to myself that I could sing for an entire show, I knew it was game over.

That was the moment I realised I was ready. When I came back to LA, I felt a new kind of confidence. I had just been on this wild self-love journey, realising how much my body had carried me through, and I was ready to trust myself again. The session for Hotel was one of my first sessions back in LA, and when I brought the song to my collaborators, Annie and Austen, something about it felt magical. Listening to what we had created, I just knew—this was the song I wanted to introduce myself with.

Nicolle: “Hotel” is your debut single—why was this the song you chose to introduce yourself to the world? What makes it feel like the beginning?

Ana: While making ‘Hotel’, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time—the urge to share a song with the world. Even after a year since that initial session, that feeling never faded. I still loved the music, the story, and the way it captured something both heartbreaking and flirty all at once. The body of work I’m creating tells the story of my life—real experiences from a time of healing. ‘Hotel’ is just a sliver of that journey, a glimpse into everything I have to say. It felt like the perfect way to begin this new chapter.

Nicolle: Your music feels deeply personal. Who do you hope hears this song, and what do you want them to take away from it?

Ana: As a music fan, I know how hearing the right song at the right time can be life-saving—it can make you feel seen, understood, and less alone. That’s what I hope to do with my music. By sharing my experiences and struggles, I want to reach those who might be going through something similar. If even one person listens and thinks, ‘Wow, I’m not alone. She got through this, and so can I,’ then I’ve done what I set out to do.

Nicolle: Returning to LA after everything you’ve experienced must feel powerful. How does the city—and its music scene—influence your current creative process?

Ana: I feel incredibly lucky to be born and raised in LA—a city overflowing with opportunity and creative energy. Being back here has been beyond inspiring, surrounded by so many talented people chasing their dreams. It’s a constant reminder that no goal is too big. Everywhere I look, people are making it happen, and it’s both humbling and motivating to be part of that energy.

Nicolle: Beyond the single, what can we expect next? Is “hotel” part of a larger project or story you’re building toward?

Ana: You can definitely expect a lot more from me. I’ve spent years trying to find the perfect way to express my experiences and emotions through music. ‘Hotel’ is just one chapter of a much bigger, deeply personal story that I can’t wait to share. For the first time, the music I’m making feels completely right—completely me. It’s taken me 24 years to get to this place, and I’m so ready for what’s next.

Nicolle: Finally, you’ve reclaimed your voice in every sense of the word. What does being an artist mean to you now, in this chapter of your life?

Ana: To me, being an artist is all about staying true to yourself. In such a crowded industry, it can be hard to keep your head down and not get caught up in the noise. But I feel grateful for the life experiences that have shaped me, because now, more than ever, I truly know who I am. And I think that’s one of the most important parts of being an artist. At the end of the day, even though this is my job, it’s still art. It’s meant to be creative, expressive, and fun. There aren’t many rules, and that’s the beauty of it.

Ana Kahan’s story isn’t just one of recovery—it’s one of reckoning, resilience, and reinvention. With “Hotel”, she opens the door to a soundscape born from real emotion and lived experience, where heartbreak and healing coexist in every note. As she steps into this next chapter with fearless honesty, one thing is clear: Ana isn’t just finding her voice again—she’s using it to help others feel seen, heard, and less alone.

You can listen to Hotel and follow Ana’s journey at anakahan.co.

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Nicolle Knapova is a little bit of everything. She is a freelance translator, content creator. She loves indie music and is always browsing through Spotify to find the next amazing artist to obsess over. Her love for storytelling means she’s always writing something and she’s not afraid of any genre. Her biggest dream is to be a published author. If she’s not writing her fan fiction, she’s writing her poetry and sharing it on her Instagram @elisecaverly.

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