I wasn't a child prodigy who could sing opera and play the piano by the time I was 3. I was a quiet little girl who's only ambition was to go play out in the sun or find a reason to go to a friends house to watch a scary movie or play Nintendo. I had no idea that life would turn out for me the way that it has.
Music was always a passion for me even before I was aware that I even payed any attention to it. I was always memorizing my favorite Disney songs or planning what country music song I would perform on Star Search. I wore out so many cassette tapes and drove my family crazy with how often I'd put a song on repeat.
I listened to everything! I found magic in it all. Mentally, I was recording every nuance of the sounds I'd hear to be stored away for decades until I was capable of creating a sound all my own.
In 2000 I changed my major to music and for the first time fully acknowledged my obsession with this "Whole New World". I graduated in 2003 with a BM in composition.
Then the world happened. I joined the work force and let music slip away. It hurt. My life in college had been 24/7 music and after I graduated I didn't write a single word for 9 months!
It didn't last long before I said "enough" to the hum drum and took the plunge. My obsession took on a whole new force. I ate, drank and slept music. I started forming my routine.
Everyday I would write for at least a couple of hours. Even when the muse was against me I would at least try. I read every music business or marketing book I could get my hands on. Every music idea I had I wrote down until I had pieces of paper everywhere; in my car, my apartment, at work. If I wasn't at work, I was writing or sleeping or thinking about my next song idea.
In 2004 I won honorable mention in the Billboard World Songwriting Contest for "Dream". In 2005 I scored the music for a trilogy of Greek tragedy plays for Gresham Parks and Recreation. I also joined TAXI that year (best decision ever) and started making the rounds at the TAXI and Durango Song Festival Music Conferences.
In January 2009 I finally released Magic my debut album. It was a long time coming but I'm so excited it's finally here.
I thought maybe the completion of an album was what I needed to release me from my obsession. But it has done just the opposite.
I've never been more passionate or more gung-ho to make music my career. The song ideas just keep coming day in and day out. I'm driven and focused and I have decided that this is going to happen for me. There's no way I could ever think of slowing down now. How could I now that I know it's only just begun!