When a House Becomes Home with Danika Portz

Danika Portz is a singer/songwriter who has been described by Billboard magazine as "the songstress who simply sounds like nobody else in Nashville these days–especially on a vocal level." Danika is an Iowa-native who has had the opportunity to open for some of the industry's top acts, such as Martina McBride, Dan and Shay, David Cook, and many more.

Danika won the NFM Anthem Theme Song Contest with her song, House Becomes a Home. She is married to an incredible fiddle player and musician in his own right, Ryan Joseph, and will soon be a mom.

In this episode…

In 2020, NFM hosted a contest to find a theme song for the company's commercials. The contest received more than 400 entries and by March 2020, they had narrowed it down to the top 10 finalists. They then opened the voting to the public to narrow it even further to the top five finalists. And in August 2020, Danika Portz was announced as the winner with her song, House Becomes a Home.

Danika shares that while she was confident in her song, she was amazed by the talent that emerged from the competition and wasn't sure if she would make the cut. But her vocal prowess and her ability to tell a compelling story and convey what it was like to turn a house into a home propelled her to the top of the race, and ultimately, made her win the contest.

Join Tyler Wisecup, Becca Sudbeck, and Hilary Woltemath in this episode of I Am Home podcast as they talk to NFM Anthem Theme Song contest winner, Danika Portz, about winning the contest and sharing a story through her songs. Danika also shares her musical inspirations and influences, the challenges that come with being a woman in the music industry, how she's preparing her home for her baby, and highlights some amazing female artists that people should listen to.

Connect with Danika Portz; Musicians Danika recommends - Anna Vaus; Mickey Guyton; Joy Oladokun; Abby Anderson; Lauren Duski; Kacey Musgraves; Maren Morris