MEET THE NANCYS: GAINESVILLE’S NEXT BREAKOUT BAND
Photos by Hayley Power @hpphotodesign
NANCY (noun, verb, mindset): A movement. A mindset. A title. Nancy is within you.
There’s a certain electricity that lingers after seeing a band truly lock in onstage—and that’s exactly what I felt watching The Nancys perform on the Community Stage at Big: Culture & Arts Festival in Gainesville on April 12. The stage was curated to spotlight local talent, and The Nancys brought one of the most lively and engaging sets of the day. Their indie-alternative sound had the crowd dancing, locked in from the first song to the last. I already knew I loved their music, but seeing it live added a whole new layer. Just weeks ahead of releasing their self-titled debut EP, the band gave a performance that felt like a celebration of everything they've built so far—and a preview of what’s coming next. I left their set knowing I needed to hear the full story. What I found was a band that doesn’t just write songs—they create a space. And in that space, everyone is Nancy.
The Nancys are a Gainesville-based trio composed of Ella Norris (vocals/rhythm guitar), Theo Lorenzen (lead guitar), and Shane Barrera (drums). The band began after Ella returned from studying abroad in Italy, where she really connected with music and eventually formed the early version of the group. After a few rotating members, she found Theo and Shane—and everything clicked.
“I started the band,” Ella said. “We went through a bunch of members and ended up with these guys. It just clicked and we’ve hit it off ever since.” Theo and Shane, both from the same suburb near Tampa, realized they’d gone to adjacent high schools before meeting in the band. Ella grew up in Boca Raton, but Gainesville—where all three now study at the University of Florida—became their creative home. They’re signed to Swamp Records, UF’s student-run label, and have become a fixture in the local scene for their emotionally honest lyrics, DIY approach, and strong community ties.
We’re catching you right after your set—how are you feeling?
Theo: Tired.
Ella: Tired, but I love being on stage. It’s such a rush. I love the crowd, and when they give energy back, it’s my favorite thing ever. I am very grateful.
You’re all part of Gainesville’s music scene—what’s made it such a special place to grow as a band?
Shane: I think it’s just a great way to be inspired by one another. Every time we watch other people’s sets, we’re kind of like, “Oh, this is a pretty cool idea.” Festivals like this are a great opportunity to be more understanding of the local music community.
Ella: Everything is very collaborative. We’re best friends with all the other bands, and everyone is super tight-knit. It’s kind of like, if you’re in a band, you know everyone.
Theo: There’s also a lot of gigs. A lot of gigs, a lot of venues, and a lot of free beer, too. If we were in Tampa, we wouldn’t have nearly as many opportunities.
So... what’s the story behind the name? Who is Nancy?
Ella: Nancy is a mindset, first of all. Nancy is within you. It’s a movement. We’re all technically Nancy, and we call our fans Nancys too—like, everyone is Nancy. It started as a running joke because our friend was just the Nancy of the Gainesville music scene, and it kind of caught on. It’s such an iconic name. I haven’t really met anyone named Nancy, but it feels like a title name, and I think it’s perfect. One thing about The Nancys is that I will never change our name. For sure.
Shane: You know how there’s brat summer? For us, it’s like “new year, new Nancy album.”
Ella: We get noticed out in public, and it’s usually not even by our own names—it’s just “Nancy.”
Theo: Nancy is a verb. It’s an adjective. It’s a noun. It’s everything.
The upcoming self-titled debut EP feels like a coming-of-age story. Was that intentional, or did it take shape on its own?
Ella: It really wasn’t intentional. I do the writing, and all the songs on the EP are ones I’ve written. Some of them are a year old, some are two months old. But as we were recording and mixing, we realized they all kind of fit together. It’s like our growth over the past year. It all resembles identity and self and a lot of deeper things—stuff people just think about alone in their bedrooms.
On songs like “Sucker” and “Know Me Too,” you dive into queerness, desire, and family pressure—how do you approach writing about those intimate moments?
Ella: I don’t approach it in a formulaic way. I experience these things like everybody else. Writing is like my journal. It’s vulnerable to share it onstage, but it’s cathartic. It’s a way to get it out—and once it’s out, it’s easier to let go. Especially when people take it and make it their own.
“Light, Again” touches on burnout—have you experienced that as a band?
Ella: Definitely right now. We’re recording and mixing.
Theo: I’m producing and mixing all the songs, and it’s the only thing I’ve thought about for the last month. I’ve got six days to finish mixing the last two, and they’re coming along.
Shane: He’s a fantastic producer.
Ella: You don’t realize how much work it takes until you sit down and do it. We’ve been working on these songs for months, and we’re still not even done. It’s a long process.
Theo: Production is the best though. I love it.
Ella: It’s very fun—but it is a lot of work.
When you’re in the thick of it—tired, overworked—how do you get through?
Shane: I think we’re all equally passionate about it. We always kind of joke that we’re an in-house band—everything we do is just the three of us. We have a nice team through Swamp Records, which is a wonderful creative team, but when it comes to the songs, it’s just us three. We bounce off of each other. We’re all very honest, we all trust each other. We’re good friends. It’s just friendship, you know?
Theo: The best fun I have is when they come to my apartment to produce. Shane’s coding, Ella’s doing marketing stuff, and I’m messing with synth sounds. Then I’ll be like, “Ella, I need you to play guitar,” and she’s like, “Okay,” or I’ll be like, “Shane, I need you on synth,” and then we’re just hanging out for a couple of hours until they have to go.
Outside of the band, you’re all full-time students—what are you studying?
Theo: I’m a junior, and they’re seniors.
Ella: I’m studying information systems.
Theo: Same—info systems.
Shane: I’m in computer science.
Ella: We’re all big nerds, but we love music. We love music and we love numbers.
Who influences your sound, either musically or production-wise?
Theo and Shane: Probably Ella Norris.
Ella: I draw a lot from older music. I really love the sounds of the ’70s and ’80s. I also pull from the ’90s, honestly—it kind of depends on my mood. We’ve cited Fleetwood Mac, Big Thief, The 1975 as influences. But I also love smaller indie bands that are just always popping up, like Slow Pulp. I grew up on the classics, so that’s been a big part of it.
Theo: I just also love pop. I love high-fidelity, really great songwriting and pop production—Dan Nigro, who produces for Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan. Max Martin, who basically made the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande. I love producers like that. Songs that are efficient and get the point across.
Ella: People hate on pop a lot, but I’m personally influenced by it.
Theo: It’s because they can’t make pop.
Ella: Yeah—pop is very hard to make, and I love it. I love the pop girls: Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles. I think there’s a middle ground that we meet when we’re making music, and it’s super cool.
Their new single, “Know Me Too,” drops April 25. The full self-titled debut EP arrives two weeks later on May 9. It’s a debut that feels like a time capsule—equal parts growing pains, self-discovery, and late-night overthinking.
In other words? It’s very Nancy.