When I was a child, I had a million different outlets for my creativity. It couldn’t be contained to just one medium. I’d dance, sing, draw, act out plays, decorate fairy houses, write stories, knit, and film makeup tutorials. I’d even dedicate snow days or weekends when I didn’t have dance practice to directing, starring in, and filming music videos on my iPod nano. As I grew up, these hobbies came and went in waves, and nothing really stuck. But somehow, music was always there. 

Growing up a dancer, music has always run my world. I think that’s why I was naturally drawn to singing and performing. At home, I was constantly rocking out on an imaginary stage. But I didn’t dream of becoming a singer, I just loved doing it. Eventually, singing the songs on the radio wasn’t enough for me, so I began to write. I started in 2nd grade. For fun, I’d sit under the tree in my front yard and fill my notebook page to page with poems and jingles, eventually working my way up to full songs. But still, I never saw music in my future. It seemed unrealistic, like something that would never happen for me, something that would be stupid to pursue.

When I started high school, I went through a number of personal struggles that really took a toll on me. It sounds cliche to say, but music truly got me through a lot of that. Listening, playing, singing, writing; anything music-related kept me sane.