Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who released two singles last month after having put out an album in April. She has also done work as a co-writer with a band that has gotten two nominations for Latin GRAMMYs. And for her own work, she is on the preliminary ballot in several categories. Last year she made her Grand Ole Opry debut, performing her own original songs. She has also made several appearances in television and film, and was first signed by Sony Music at age 16!
"I feel that as artists we create what we need."
"I feel like Christmas is really a state of mind, no matter where you are and it's not just about having snow."
"I feel like music needs to carry a message across. I feel that that's what the purpose of art is for."
"I think when creating a full album -- even an EP of six songs or say you want to do a 12-song album or like a 14-track album like I did for 'Shine' -- you want to make sure that it paints a picture, that it tells a story."
"Sometimes you have to surrender your ego because, as writers, they're like our babies, the songs."
"I think that's a part of the collaborative process as well, is, just honesty and being respectful, which is very important."
"When we don't know what's going on, we get anxiety, and art and the creation of music has been a huge outlet for me because of that."
"I'm a child of Cuban immigrants who migrated to the U.S. in the 1960s and I grew up in a bi-cultural household, speaking both English and Spanish."
"At the age of 15 I had recorded some demos and they reached the hands of a senior A&R at Sony Music and I was signed to a major record label, to Sony Music, when I was 15/16."
"I got to work with GRAMMY Award-winning producers at a very young age. And I'm so thankful for that experience because it really prepared me for life. I was in very adult circumstances, adult settings, working with adults, since I was a child."
"I'm always going to work on my own artist projects because as a writer I feel like I have a lot to say. And I hope to actually make a jazz album soon, one day. I'm working on an EP right now of six songs that's more country-pop oriented and then I want to delve into some jazz."
"I've found cooking to be another creative outlet... To me it's just something else that you can be very creative with just like music; you can control the ingredients, you can create something beautiful and share it with people."
"Mele Kalikimaka"
"Brand New Pair of Shoes"