The minute freshman Sofia Moreno started talking, she has been singing. When she was 2, she would sing along to Roy Orbison in her car seat; at 5, she started taking piano lessons; and at 12, she started producing her own music. 

“My first song [recorded] was “Wondering,” which was a cover from the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” Moreno said. “I really liked it, so my dad looked more into stuff like that.” 

Eventually, when Moreno became a teenager, she started recording at Orb Studio, which was founded by former lead guitarist, Charles Britton Hudson III, for the rock band Blue October. This has allowed the bass player of Blue October, Matt Noveskey, to play on a few of Moreno’s songs.

“I recorded the cover of “Until I Found You” by Steven Sanchez there,” Moreno said. “We really like that studio, so we stuck with them, and we’re still working with them even today.”

Kelsey Flanagan is Moreno’s producer at Orb Studio and has helped her with various aspects of her music such as offering songwriting sessions to help her finish ideas that she’s started, producing the tracks for the songs she’s released and also teaching her how to produce her own music. 

One of Flanagan’s favorite parts about working with Moreno is watching her figure out what genre of music she most aligns with and seeing her become more confident. Both Moreno and Flanagan say that Moreno’s music aligns most with the alternative music genre. 

“Well, I want to do the style of alternative music,” Moreno said, “but, I guess I’m kind of inspired by a lot of different genres. I don’t just listen to one. I listen to all of them.”

Moreno grew up in a very musical family, so music has always been a part of her life. When she was little, she started taking singing lessons and writing her own music. 

“I guess I’ve loved musicals since I was little and music in general,” Moreno said. “I kind of just write about my experiences. I try to think of some things people feel, not necessarily always something I feel, but [a feeling] from someone else’s perspective.”

Moreno started off her singing career by just covering songs, but now has three original songs out called “Broken,” “Paralyzed” and “A Bitter Note.” She has also produced two music videos to accompany her songs and hopes to continue making them in the future as she produces music. 

Flanagan first met Moreno in 2023 and points out all the growth she’s gone through since that time. 

“Some of the ways she’s grown is she’s pursuing her original music and not just covers, regularly singing national anthems for professional sports teams and doing more live performances,” Flanagan said. “As well as becoming more comfortable in the recording studio and learning to produce her own music.”

Performing live as well as performing national anthems for various sporting events are some of Moreno’s favorite things that come with being a singer. Over the years Moreno has sung the national anthem at Austin FC, the USL soccer team San Antonio FC, Texas Longhorn baseball team, twice at Austin Spurs and a few times at the Round Rock Express stadium. Along with national anthems, Moreno has picked up gigs at places like the Round Rock Marketplace, Kalahari Resort and weekly at church.

“I really like performances,” Moreno said. “My dad tries to reach out to these places and get me national anthems or places I can sing at and stuff.”

Moreno’s dad, Joseph Moreno, is heavily involved with the behind the scenes aspects of Moreno’s singing career.

“I help promote her songs on social media and find events that she can perform at,” Joseph said. “I try to get her involved with as many opportunities as possible. Whether it’s signing at church or national anthems for sporting events, I just try to get her out there to perform to get her name out there.”

Finding and booking gigs for Moreno isn’t always easy though because of all of the networking that goes into it. Joseph has to do a lot of research trying to find managers or event managers. When he’s able to get in contact with them, he submits Moreno’s resume, links to her music and head shots.

“I’m always looking out for her and trying to find places where she can sing and show her talent,” Joseph said. “I admire how she can get on stage and perform with no fear. She’s very brave, and I’m very proud of what she’s accomplished so far.”

In addition to working to promote Moreno, Joseph also acknowledges that he tries to offer as much moral support as possible while also giving her good advice and directing her.

When Moreno first approached Joseph about taking up a singing career, he thought it was awesome because he knew she had a good voice because she sings around the house all the time. 

Along with balancing her outside-of-school activities and singing career, Moreno is also a choir major at school which causes a lot of juggling.

“[Both school and music] are very time consuming,” Moreno said. “Sometimes I find it kind of hard to make time for my music because of school work and activities, but I try my best to make it work.”

Joseph notices how well Moreno does with managing all aspects of her life from music to school.

“She’s willing to put in the work, whether it’s practicing or preparing for events and at the same time making good grades in school,” Joseph said. 

Looking towards the future, Joseph is excited to see Moreno break out in the music scene and become a recognized name in both Austin’s music scene and beyond.

“I just want to see her accomplish her dream of succeeding in the music industry,” Joseph said. “Stay positive and humble, keep God first to guide you and try setting small daily goals to stay focused and grow.”

Moreno also has a similar goal in terms of succeeding in the music industry and potentially performing at bigger venues with other musicians.

“I would really like to be a singer and like to make music that people listen to and perform at places like the Moody and like this is a stretch but the Sphere,” Moreno said. “I feel like it would be a huge accomplishment.”