The explanation of a personality, particularly an artist, is a complex thing.

So I will use broad strokes. I was born in a small town in Utah, studied ballet and piano intensely from a young age. I was the eldest of six kids, and despite an incredible youth, wanted to know my mother who left when I was three years old. So I moved in with her at age thirteen and everything about my life changed. I left my childhood religion, friends, world and most importantly family behind and was launched into what was to me, a very strange but exciting existence. I was sent to New York to compete in an International Modeling contest and won the Junior Fashion Print Division, I got a part in a TV movie called Forever Young, spent a very lonely year while living in the Universal Hilton playing the piano in the ballroom where I met Teddy Riley and was offered my first record deal at age fifteen. I graduated high school early and worked and began my love for travel and passion for volunteer work.  I made some great friends, excelled in college and wrote songs the entire time to integrate my experiences, to find myself.

When I was nineteen, I was playing at a party and was “discovered” by an associate of Glen Ballard. I met Glen, played for him, and he signed me to a record deal at Capitol Records where I spent an extraordinary four years of my life making a record that would never be released. But during those four years, had my songs in movies, “Blast From The Past” and “Sweet November”, on TV, had a Top 5 Billboard Dance Hit called “Inside Your Secret”, had success with my fine art and watched as my paintings got gallery shows and sold out, and learned my craft from the best, as Glen has sold over 180 million records and has co-written and produced Alanis Morrisette, Rolling Stones, Dave Mathews and No Doubt.  I was heartbroken when I realized that politics would stop my record from finding its audience and so I took a break to re-examine whether or not I wanted to be in the Entertainment Industry.

I spent a year at Harvard in the Long Distance education program, traveled all over the world, from Bali, China and Japan to all through Europe, Scotland and South America including Peru and Costa Rica. I started a non-profit through YWCA Westside called Mosaic Movement that supported the housing and college education of emancipated foster care girls, I started to teach music to inner city youth at an Organization I love called Artshare. And I decided that indeed, I am an artist first, and I must write songs and I must sing. Which brings us up to now.

I just finished a record that I feel was worth waiting for with Marvin Etzioni, (Counting Crows, Lone Justice). I have become involved with a very special company called Sephora who will sell my CD’s in the store and use my face in their ads, as well as let me design a product, the proceeds of which will go to my charity of choice. I think this company is visionary and believe that the future for artists can get very creative and mutually beneficent. I am involved with two new causes, a series of orphanages in Tanzania dealing with AIDS epidemic in Africa, and a non-profit in Laos helping land mine victims, and will be spending time in both countries over the next year. I am living in Japan as well as Los Angeles learning Japanese and creating a series of paintings for my next art show. I will be playing music, fighting the good fight and living as fully and passionately as I know how for as long as life lets me.