Regardless of which city you live in, the ubiquity of home studios and social media has made the R&B market incredibly competitive. But Austin native Anastasia Hera seems to thrive off of that energy, growing bonds in her local community while excelling at her half-rapped/half-sung style, and opening for the likes of Dead Prez, GZA and Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan, Boosie, and Geto Boys’ Scarface. During the mononymous portion of her career, Anastasia dropped by Studio 1A to promote her women-empowering non-profit CAKE, right around the same time she released her remarkable 2016 album of the same name.

Since then, Hera’s brought even harder-hitting performances to the table, heard most recently in May on This Is Anastasia, and EP that showcases both ferocity, tenderness, and everything in between. Last weekend Anastasia Hera got a chance to celebrate that EP release (and her birthday) at Geraldine’s, and we have a feeling she’s on a fast track to become an international superstar, thanks to her charismatic confidence on tracks like “Ceiling”!