Anastasia Forrest is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and music minister whose work explores the sacred and transformative power of music.
Music has been part of Anastasia's life for as long as she can remember. She began composing songs as a child at the piano and was performing publicly by the age of fourteen. As a teenager, her original music earned a place on Planet Radio's Native Noise compilation and led to opportunities to perform throughout Northeast Florida and open for artists including John Mayer, Styx, Little River Band, Huey Lewis & the News, David Crosby, and Foreigner.
Her musical path has continued to evolve alongside the many other chapters of her life. She earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Religion and later pursued formal study in Music Therapy at Florida State University. Her musical and spiritual interests have increasingly converged in her work as a music minister.
Today, Anastasia offers sacred and contemplative music for worship, reflection, comfort, connection, and joy. Her repertoire includes sacred and spiritual music, contemplative songs, original music, and familiar songs from across generations.
She is particularly interested in the ways music can create space for people to encounter something meaningful—whether in communal worship, a spiritual gathering, a retreat, or a more intimate setting.
For Anastasia, music is not simply something to perform. It is a way of listening, connecting, remembering, expressing, and making space for the sacredness already present in life.
A Little More of the Story
Creating songs has been part of me for as long as I can remember.
I still vividly remember sitting down at a piano during an elementary-school field trip and plunking out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Something lit up in my brain. I went home determined that I needed a piano of my own.
I began writing songs soon afterward—first about my cat Spider, then about God, then about crushes, feelings, and whatever else occupied my young mind. I would rush home from school to sit at the piano and record my latest creations onto a little cassette recorder.
Eventually I picked up my grandfather's guitar and discovered another way of telling stories through music. By fourteen, I was playing locally, and music began opening doors I never could have anticipated.
The path hasn't been linear. There have been seasons when music moved into the background while other parts of life demanded my attention. But it has always returned.
It turns out music wasn't something I was supposed to outgrow.
It was something I was learning how to grow into.
Today, I offer sacred and contemplative music for worship, reflection, comfort, connection, and joy. My work is rooted in the belief that music can help us listen more deeply—to ourselves, to one another, and to the sacredness already present in life.
If you'd like to explore bringing my music to your community, gathering, or organization, I'd love to hear from you.