Even before the proliferation of the insult “Ok, Boomer,” there’s been a cultural disconnect between the olds and the youngs. This is perhaps most stark between Latinos who emigrated to the states and their children, who were born in the land of Starbucks and Spongebob Squarepants. TikTok star Ana Saia is one such Latina, and she’s made a career poking fun at this relatable disconnect.
Recently, Saia released her first single, a bilingual pop hit titled “The Reason (La Razon).” Since its release, it’s gotten over 370,000 plays on Spotify alone. Saia recently sat down with us to discuss her massively successful song, her relatable approach to content creation, and being the undisputed “No Sabo Queen.”
Playboy: Before we start, could you explain to all the guerros* out there what a “No Sabo” kid is?
Ana Saia: So, “No Sabo,” if you break it down, it’s the wrong way of saying “I don’t know” in Spanish. If you grew up in a Hispanic household, and didn’t really speak Spanish as often as your parents did, you still pick up a good amount of Spanish. But it’s not perfect. So it’s the direct translation you think of when you’re trying to say, “I don’t know,” instead of saying “No sé” which is the correct way of saying it.
Playboy: A perfect explanation.
Saia: It just means that you make a lot of mistakes and sometimes people label you because of those mistakes. They’re like “She knows a little Spanish, but not enough.”
Playboy: What inspired you to write “The Reason (La Razon)?”
Saia: What inspired me really was just this audience that I built online. I meet some of them in person and I see how deeply connected they feel, especially the Latino experiences that I share online. That, and I love music.
I wanted to put that into a song. And it’s not even just about your heritage, necessarily. But everybody has at one point in their life felt like they don’t belong somewhere. Whether it’s a meeting, a friend group— whatever. You always feel like you need to find a reason to belong somewhere. But at the end of the day, you don’t. And I’m so happy that the song came out the way it did because it’s in Spanish and in English.
I think it pushes people who, like me, want to learn Spanish later in life. And even though people might, discourage you from doing so, it’s a good place to start. People can kind of lean on the idea “If she did it, why can’t I?” So, I’m glad I can be that kind of support system through music now. It’s a beautiful feeling.
Playboy: The single’s garnered more than 370,000 listens since its release. Are you happy with the reception? And has its message resonated with viewers the way that you hoped?
Saia: Yeah, I mean me and the producer Kevin Gani, we didn’t really have super high expectations because it’s my first song. I was going to be happy if just 1,000 people listen to it, let alone 370,000. That’s an insane number to think of. I’m super happy with how it’s been doing.
And people really do love it. I’ve definitely had some people that are like, “What is this? I don’t understand it,” or whatever, and it’s okay. When it comes to music is everybody’s got their own taste. So, I always accept criticism and take it on the chin every other artist would. Honestly, I’m just so happy that people like it. Even my friends and close family, they just like to dance along to it and they’re like, “It’s like an earworm that I can’t get out of my head!” And I’m like, “Perfect. That’s exactly what I was going for.”
Playboy: That’s awesome. A lot of your content is about the sort of cultural divide between older and younger Latinos. and if I were to ask your mom what’s your most—let’s call it, “Guerra Behavior” or “Guerra Mannerism” that you have, what do you think she’d say?
Saia: Probably my accent honestly. Because I’ve always been made fun for it in my family. My sister and I are the only ones on that side of the family that were born in the US. And we weren’t taught Spanish at a young age. We only listened to it. So, yeah, definitely my accent…it’s here and there.
She always makes fun of me, which is a big part of my content, thankfully. I wish I was more confident, because again, all the criticism I faced growing up and even now, I definitely feel like I could be better. But that’s anything anybody does. You always want to do better. So, I can say that I can hold a good conversation. I will mess up here and there, but at the end of the day, if you understand me, I feel like that’s a win in my book.
Playboy: On the other end of that question, what’s something about you that is intensely Mexican about you?
Saia: That’s a great question. Honestly, I feel I’m so passionate about everything that I do, when it comes to creating or just loving my family in the way that I do. I’m a very passionate person and I feel like that is strongly connected to my Latin roots. That’s something that my mom and her family just really carved into my heart. And even my American dad, he’s like, “I just love how passionate you are about so many different things.”
Playboy: You’ve got 3.5 million followers on TikTok alone. What do you believe is the secret to your success?
Saia: I think it’s honestly just being authentic. The moment I stopped trying so hard and trying to fit a certain standard of what people want to see when things go viral, that’s when it clicked. I just kind of was myself and I shared my own experiences. That’s when it really connects with people because, just everyday things that you don’t even really think about.
And I feel like that’s the whole point of my content and why it keeps going viral. It’s because I just share those parts about myself that I can’t really hide. There comes a point where you just get to be your most authentic self and that’s the best part about the job. I feel like that’s what most people lack too nowadays is that authenticity.
Playboy: Do you have any advice for all the “No Sabo” kids out there?
Saia: You’ve got to be a proud “No Sabo” kid. I think Spanish is one of the most difficult languages to learn and as long as you are trying at the end of the day, who cares if you have an accent or you mess up? At least you can understand. And speaking two languages, I think that’s more valuable than anything, honestly.
*Editor’s Note: Guerro, or Guerras, loosely translated from Spanish means “white boy” or “white girl,” respectively. It’s sometimes a pejorative, but insults and affection go hand in hand in many Latino cultures. You may be familiar with the term Gringo or Gringa…but these are more or less outdated.
