Article Contributed by IVPR
Published on 2026-09-25
“My first instinct when things go wrong is to assume they’ll never go right again,” says sixth-generation musician and Nashville native Charissa Hoffman about an all-too-universal feeling. She’s speaking about her latest single, “Love Is an Ocean,” openly and earnestly—the way she tends to write.
“This is a song about scarcity. Less so the financial or material scarcity we learn about in economics, and more the notion that there isn’t room for everyone at the table.”
Lauded for her musical skills on a somewhat out-of-left-field primary instrument—she was the first ukulele principal to be accepted at Berklee College of Music—it’s with these new songs that Hoffman is showing the world the card up her sleeve. She’s a poet, too.
“Sometimes I need to remind myself that the world will keep turning, and I just might be ok,” she says of the process behind writing “Love Is an Ocean,” the latest single from Hoffman’s upcoming debut LP, Horizon, out October 16.
“There was a time when / We’d never met / I was all right then / I will be yet,” she sings in the song’s opening lines, accompanied by her hypnotizing 7/8-time ukulele part, crashing repeatedly onto itself until joined by a melodic banjo played by Béla Fleck.
“As someone who’s prone to expecting the worst, it really drove the point home to me to have one of my musical heroes play on this song about trusting the process and believing good things will happen,” says Hoffman.
The song’s chorus proclaims, “Love is an ocean / There is a tide.”
“To me, this references shifting our focus to the journey rather than the outcomes,” says Hoffman. “The tide will always carry you back home, to love, to trust. If you stop fighting the current, you might find it brings you just where you need to be.”
Produced by John Mailander, Horizon features both instrumental prowess—including guest appearances from Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Chris Eldridge and Nina de Vitry—and Hoffman’s understated songwriting ability.
At the heart of it all, Hoffman hopes to be as inspiring to a new generation as she was inspired by the singer-songwriters and instrumentalists of her youth.
“I think a lot of folks go through this phase of figuring out who they are, apart from their parents, by listening to music. If someone hears this record and it resonates with them in the same way that those records resonated with me, then it’s a success,” she says.
Fans can stream Charissa Hoffman’s music through Apple Music and learn more about “Love Is an Ocean” and Horizon at charissahoffman.com.
Hoffman’s previously released singles include “Forward Motion” and “Kitchenette.”
Hoffman will take the stage at Nashville’s Analog at Hutton Hotel for a hometown Horizon release show on November 9 with Kristin Andreassen and special guests. Tickets can be found right here.
Horizon Tracklist
“Forward Motion”
“If I Could Fly”
“Who Am I”
“Kitchenette”
“Love Is an Ocean”
“Natchez Trace Bridge”
“Wind Beneath My Wings”
“St. Joseph”
“Parallel Lines”
Tour Dates
November 9 – Nashville, TN
November 14 – Durham, NC
November 15 – Wilmington, NC
November 17 – Brooklyn, NY
November 18 – Salisbury, MD
November 20 – Troy, NY
November 21 – Providence, RI
For complete ticket information, visit charissahoffman.com.
Charissa Hoffman Horizon Album Release
With Kristin Andreassen and special guests
Monday, November 9, 2026
Doors: 7 p.m. | Show: 8 p.m.
Analog at Hutton Hotel
1808 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
Tickets and information
