Three years after graduating from SCHS, musician Vanessa Hernandez has released her first single. The song, “Just Smile,” has a music video and is gaining attention online, receiving more than 3,000 views and 150 “thumbs ups” on YouTube.

Q: When did your single “Just Smile” get released?

A:It released on Tuesday, November 3; all iTunes releases come out on Tuesday. And my very first music video was released on November 7.

Q: How was the experience of making your music video?

A: I’ll never forget it. I don’t have a manager, I don’t have a label. I paid for it, I found the director, I styled everyone’s clothes. I literally did it all myself and that’s what made it all worth it. At the end, I was just crying, I couldn’t believe that all my hard months of work had actually paid off. I loved the outcome.

Q: How does it feel to have a music video on VEVO?

A: I never thought I’d have a video with them; they’re like the secret service. You have to get approved through a whole process. My video was released at midnight, and I got a call by my parents, who were crying. That’s when it hit me: this is really happening. It was great.

Q: How does it feel to come back to Santa Clara?

A: This is literally where it all started: Lip Sync, En Soirée. This is where I found out that I could sing. I always was a dancer, since age five; I thought I’d grow up to be a dancer. Then my sophomore year,  for En Soirée, my best friend was going to play piano and said he needed a singer. I entered, and that was the first night anyone ever heard me sing. The outcome was amazing: my parents were crying. Ever since then, that’s what I want to do. It’s great to come back: it all started here.

Q: You’ve had the support of teachers, like Krista Keneman, who recognized your talent from a young age. How has that affected your life?

A: I didn’t realize I had so much support. When I released my single, I had so many messages from past teachers: it was the most heart-warming experience, it showed me that there really is no place like home. Keneman has seen me through my worst days and my best days. She knows me better than most of my friends: she was our class adviser, and she saw me in the hall until three in the morning coloring a poster, crying because it wasn’t done. Or she saw me on the best of days, like homecoming. She had the opportunity to see me for the artist that I am today.

Q: What should we expect of NESSA?

A: I will be releasing my EP, an extended play, with three or four songs. That will be released in January around my birthday. Hopefully, my album will follow soon after. The next thing is one more music video that will drop along with my EP.

Q: What do you want to say to Santa Clara High School?

A:I want to tell SCHS to always keep pushing for what you want to do in life: you never know if it will actually come true. Who knew that me, a random girl from Santa Clara, would end up on X-Factor or in a football commercial with Kevin Hart. If you want something, there is no such thing as impossible. With hard work and dedication, you can do whatever you want. My journey shows that. It doesn’t matter where you come from, or how big or small your hair is.