NORA. has been singing for as long as she can remember. Years before her mix of modern-day Americana and sparkling pop brought her to Nashville, she grew up in southern Pennsylvania, whipping her voice into shape as a musical theater actress, classical singer, and blossoming songwriter.

"Sometimes I'd be singing classical songs in other languages," she remembers, "so I learned to convey the stories and emotions of the music through my voice instead. It was a way to emotionally connect with an audience. I've carried it with me ever since."

With her debut EP JUST WORDS., NORA. speaks a broader universal language. More than just an introduction to NORA.’s voice, the collection of songs showcases a storyteller whose lyrics turn everyday events — including breakups, romance, and the messiness of becoming who we really are — into universal coming-of-age stories. She falls in love during the cinematic “Too Good To Be True.,” whose larger-than-life melodies channel the thrill of a new relationship, then pays tribute to the glory days of 1980s pop music with the synth-fueled “Since I’ve Been Gone.” "Kiss My Ass." channels the countrified sass and rootsy stomp of her adopted Nashville home, while the woozy, watercolor textures of “I’m So Glad I Left.” nod to her love of atmospheric Americana.

Gluing that diverse sound together is NORA., herself: a lyric-driven songwriter who makes extraordinary music about ordinary topics, creating a soundtrack to the shared human experience.

That relatability is the beating heart of JUST WORDS. She wrote the majority of the songs alone, teaming up with her brother Nicholas for the collaborative "Somebody's Secret." — a vulnerable track about empowerment, secrecy, and self-worth — and recording the songs with producer Aden Gray.

"After I started writing songs, I realized they were all just reflections of me… a twenty-something girl named Nora," she says. "I'm like every other girl, and I don't see that as a bad thing. In fact, I think there's something powerful about being relatable, where someone can hear a song and think, 'That's me, too.' It's just me. Just Nora. Period."

In conversation, NORA. laughs easily at herself, unafraid to shine a light on the wins, losses, and battle scars accumulated on the long road to JUST WORDS. Reflecting on her time in high school, she reveals that songwriting was therapeutic, a way to help make sense of the world around her. "I craved girlhood and attention so much, but I was a late-bloomer who felt excluded a lot of the time," she remembers.

"I've never been a confrontational person, so music became something like an alter ego, where I could say whatever I wanted. If I couldn't say something to someone in person, I could say it in a song." She shared those early compositions publicly, using her music as a means of communication. "I went to a smaller high school," she adds, "so if I wrote a song about someone and I posted it online, they would know it was about them. Whether I was mad at someone or had a crush on them, songwriting was my way of putting myself out there."

NORA.’s love for music and songwriting eventually led her to Belmont University in Nashville. It was there, nestled deep in the heart of Music City, that her songwriting bloomed. She began playing more guitar. She began creating new music, taking inspiration not only from her daily conversations with her roommates – brother Nicholas and cousin Ben – but from eclectic artists like Olivia Dean, Kasey Musgraves, and Gracie Abrams, too. She quit her job in the entertainment industry at a tour marketing company, ditching the security of a 9-to-5 corporate gig for the thrill of chasing down her own horizon. “There was a lot of anxiety with leaving my job,” she admits, “and this record is a celebration of getting past that moment.” Hundreds of miles from her childhood home, NORA. wrote and reflected, discovering her true self along the way.

JUST WORDS. captures that period of self-exploration. It's a confessional, cathartic record about the challenges we share and the identities we choose. For NORA., it's the first chapter of a story that she's excited to share with the world. She created the record independently, without the constrictions of a record label, exercising full control over her own sounds and stories. The result is every bit as magnetic as it is melodic: a collection of upbeat anthems and softer introspections, delivered with humility, heart-on-sleeve honesty, and humor.

"I crave authenticity in my relationships and friendships, and that's what this project is," she says. "It's the sound of someone pouring all her thoughts, feelings, and experiences into songs, trying to process life through music. What makes my music special isn't perfection — it's honesty. I'm just telling my own story, hoping someone out there hears it and thinks, 'Yeah, me too.'"