'Home' Is Where God Places You: Finding Belonging with Constanza Herrero
- Sofia Nicotra
- Jan 6
- 7 min read
Constanza has made her home in many places around the world, but her newest album, Home, reflects the heart of what it means to belong wherever life takes you. Our Artist of the Month for January, Constanza Herrero, courageously opens up about her journey with faith, creativity, and the seasons that have shaped her songwriting. From South America to Australia, Los Angeles, and now Scotland, she shares how new environments, personal challenges, and moments of doubt became essential to her music. In this interview, we explore the stories behind her songs, the inspiration for writing in both English and Spanish, and what it truly means to find home in God and His family.
You’ve lived and created across four continents. Beyond sound and genre, how does place shape the way you approach songwriting and what your music becomes?
Constanza: Each place I’ve lived has marked a distinct season of my life, from South America to Australia, Los Angeles, and now Scotland. Those places—and above all the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had in those places—have shaped my songwriting by permanently altering the way I see the world. Wherever I’ve lived, it has brought significant changes to the questions I’m asking, to what I take for granted, and to how I’m learning to trust God in that season. Those environments inevitably become the unheard and unseen sheet music on which my music rests, forming the heart and themes of what I write.
Your album Home explores belonging and does that so beautifully. Was there a moment in the creative process where a lyric or melody revealed something about Home that you didn’t fully realise before writing it?
Constanza: I don’t know if there was a single lyric where something entirely new was revealed to me. Instead, I experienced more a deepening awareness and awe of the gift that it is to belong to God’s family and to be made one of His children. What was especially overwhelming was the deepening realisation that, I don’t deserve to be in his family. By nature, I am an orphan; I don’t belong. But he adopted me, only because of his mercy and grace, through his Son. That growing sense of awe motivated me and helped me be intentional in writing the songs for this album. Every song from Home flows out of that gospel reality.
This project blends pop, folk, Latin jazz, lo-fi, hymns, and Spanish/English lyrics. How did you shape each song’s sound while keeping the whole album unified as a devotional work?
Constanza: I think one way I tried to keep the album unified amidst such musical diversity was by maintaining lyrical and thematic focus. The lyrics convey the heart of the project throughout. So from the beginning, I knew it was important to be intentional about having the production serve the lyrics rather than overshadow them. I spent a lot of time gathering musical references and figuring out what did and didn’t work with that thematic core. Beyond that, I was incredibly blessed by the experience of working with my producer Dan Stirling, who understood that heart so well and helped bring it to life. It really felt like a collaborative process, and he deserves a lot of credit for shaping the sound of the album alongside me.
From one Australian-Chilean to another, thank you so much for writing in both English and Spanish. Is there an emotion or idea that feels impossible to translate between the two, and how do you navigate that creatively?
Constanza: First of all, hello, fellow Aussie-Chilean! I’m so glad you appreciate that aspect of the project. I love writing in both English and Spanish and plan to keep doing so. Being bilingual is a gift I’ve come to treasure and don’t want to take for granted.
When attempting to translate a song, there is inevitably the challenge that rarely can the lyrics be translated word for word. So I try to get around this by focusing on the overall emotion, and on the central concepts I want to convey.
A great example of this, actually, was my song “Home,” which I wrote first in Spanish as “Hogar.” From Spanish, the opening lines would literally translate as “I don’t deserve a space in your home. I am not worthy of your presence to enjoy.” Obviously that phrasing didn’t really work musically, and those lyrics also didn’t fully convey the emotion I intended. In Spanish, the lyrics just hit in a way that the corresponding English words don’t. So in English I rendered these as, “Who am I to be welcomed in your house? Who am I that I should be called your child?” Even if the exact words are not the same, the English lyrics get the idea across for me in a way that is comparable.
Faith is woven through your music. Can you share a moment of doubt, tension, or questioning that surprisingly became essential to a song or lyric?
Constanza: The song "Refuge in the King" came from a season of anxiety and discouragement. I had just moved to LA to pursue my music endeavours. Navigating the music industry and living by myself for the first time in such a big city felt overwhelming. I felt very lost professionally.
Amidst that, God was teaching me that I just needed to trust his ways and take true rest in him. But how that trust and rest looked was shaped by seeing how David prays in his psalms of lament. David often sought refuge in God, not by ignoring his doubts or fears, but by wrestling with them, fighting back against them with truth.
One prominent way God spoke to me during this season was through Isaiah 55:9, which reminds me that God is above anything I can see. But more than that, he’s a compassionate God who I can come to as my refuge in times of trouble. And so the lyrics of "Refuge in the King" were sort of my encouragements to myself to always run to him. In that way, the uncertainties of that season became essential to the song, reminding me that God’s Word is a refuge and that he invites us to bring our questions and sorrow to him.
You said it’s your prayer that these songs help people meditate on the gift of belonging to Jesus. Was there a moment while making the album where you personally felt that belonging in a deeper or unexpected way?
Constanza:
If one of your songs could only be understood through visual art, what artwork — painting, sculpture, or even architecture — best captures its emotional world, and why?
Constanza: That song would definitely be “Home”.
If “Home” were a piece of visual art, it would be a painting of a quiet countryside scene. While writing the album, I knew from the beginning that the theme was home. And living in peaceful Scotland, I fell in love with the beauty of country cottages, rolling hills, and of course sheep. That landscape captures the peace
and simplicity I associate with belonging to God, and it reflects not only the emotional world of the song but the heart of the entire album.
I was incredibly grateful to bring that vision to life by filming the music video for “Home” in an actual cottage in the UK (built in the 1500s!). Working with visual artist Paige David from Manchester helped translate that feeling into something tangible, and I still can’t believe the Lord provided such an amazing opportunity.
In your journey as an independent artist, what’s a belief about creativity or success that you’ve let go of — and how has that shift freed your artistry?
Constanza: Something I have to constantly remind myself of is simply to be faithful to God with what he has given me today. It is incredibly freeing when I focus on honouring him with my career, doing my part without falling into the trap of comparison, and staying content with all that he provides. That freedom allows me to create without being burdened by expectations or the pressure of how people will respond to my art. I have to admit it is not always easy. I certainly still struggle with discontentment, as we all can do. Yet God is always so faithful and carries me through each time.
Your recent singles have been gaining traction on editorial playlists and charts. How do you hold the tension between creating deeply devotional music and navigating a music landscape that often rewards trends over depth?
Constanza: I am very aware of that tension. I don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong about intentionally trying to write something with viral potential, but my natural focus has always been on challenging myself artistically. Trends can change so quickly, so I try not to let them dictate my creativity. I’m genuinely grateful and happy when my songs get added to playlists, and if they gain traction and reach more people, that’s a wonderful bonus. In the end, I’ve learned that staying true to how God made me matters more than following trends, and that’s where my music feels most honest.
Who have been some of your favourite Christian artists that you’ve gotten to walk alongside in this journey?
Constanza: Some I know in person and some I’ve connected with online through social media, but I’ve been really encouraged by the independent Christian community. There are so many great artists who seek to glorify God while vulnerably sharing their journey. I’ve learned so much from their experiences and it is comforting to know we are not alone in this path. For this album in particular, it was such a joy to walk alongside my producer Dan Stirling, who is also an incredible artist himself and someone I deeply look up to.
If you could design a more healthy, holistic ecosystem for artists of faith today, what values or practices would sit at the very centre of it?
Constanza: I believe nothing healthy can come from an unhealthy relationship with God. It is so crucial for any believer to be nourishing your soul through intimacy with him, engaging with his Word, and serving in a local church. So, if I could help shape a more healthy ecosystem for artists of faith, it would be to encourage a commitment to these practices, to worshipping God not only in our art, but also privately and authentically. Public recognition may come and go, but God always sees our heart. Honouring Him first allows our creativity and our work to flow out of a place of true life and purpose.
Constanza’s story reminds us that creativity, faith, and life experiences are deeply intertwined. From navigating new countries and seasons of uncertainty to wrestling with doubt and celebrating the gift of belonging, her music and reflections offer both encouragement and inspiration. Through this conversation, we see how God’s grace shapes her artistry, how each song flows from her heart and experiences, and how she hopes her music helps others encounter the same sense of home in Him. Constanza Herrero invites us to reflect, create, and find comfort in the truth that, no matter where we are, we are never without a place in God’s family.
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