I am a singer. I can finally say that confidently after years of thinking that my talent was not enough. When I was younger, I always thought that being a singer was silly because singers are born with their talents, but after years of hard work and serious dedication, I have realized that singing is absolutely worthy of admiration. I couldn't bare just being a singer whenever I went to jams or introduced myself. If someone introduced me as a singer, I would quickly add that I also play trumpet and keys. Of course I am still very proud that I play trumpet and keys, but I am no longer ashamed that my greatest asset is my singing. What resolved my complex was not when I became a semifinalist on The Voice (in fact that worsened my problem); it was when I spent a week in Miami as a Finalist during National YoungArts Week. After hearing from and watching my new friends perform all week in areas that I previously thought required far more hard work and dedication than voice, I realized that I am good enough. After listening to several singers introduce themselves and then immediately say "but I also write songs" or "I also play guitar," I realized that my scramble for legitimacy was unnecessary and almost embarrassing. My skills are enough, and realizing this allowed me to fit in to my own identity. I can finally fit in with my artistic community as I have fully accepted my talents.

My true passion is music. I adore everything about it. I adore the collaboration, the creativity, the freedom, the discovery, and the true passion that is absolutely imperative to the process of creation. I have developed an honesty and sense of self through music that I would not have otherwise. The sole purpose of practicing is to work on parts of the music that are uncomfortable. I have spent every day of the past eight years challenging myself to move out of my comfort zone by realistically evaluating my progress and improving. Music has given me a voice – both figuratively and literally. As a songwriter, I have experience crafting language with melody to create multi-dimensional expression. As a performer, I have experience mobilizing that expression from a sound-image on paper to real sound that can change lives. And as a business owner, I have experience interacting with other professionals, running efficient rehearsals, and balancing the surprisingly empty satisfaction of monetary earnings and increased notoriety with the truly satiating power of song. Music gives me joy, and it has given me a vehicle to bring joy to others. That is a gift that I absolutely cannot be thankful enough for, and I know that I will forever continue to devote my time and my love to music.

As a young girl, my family and I went camping all the time. My sister and I grew up playing in the forest, canyons, lakes, mountains, and all kinds of other environments. We made mud pies, rode our bikes through the woods, and came up with endless (and very convoluted) games to play with the terrain. We were obsessed with the series of -Ology books, and we were absolutely convinced that we would find a dragon behind our campsite because Dragonology told us that's where it would be! Through the outdoors, I really connected with my family. I greatly miss the raw connection encouraged by the remoteness of camping, with no distraction of cell phones or cable news. We went skiing last year, and I had the best time reconnecting with my family and with nature. My wilderness experience has made me realize that I want a career in which I can settle down and take a vacation that will land me in a remote place, not an urban environment. I was on a trajectory for a career as a touring musician, but when I get back to nature, I realize that I want a career in which I can own a home (preferably on a river!) and actually spend most of my time in one city.

If I had unlimited money, I would travel to different parts of the world to experience art and culture. I would specifically enjoy traveling to South and Central America because I have been a Spanish student for four years now, and I do think that spending some time in native speaking areas would be extremely constructive for me. I also love cooking, so if I had unlimited money, I would purchase better supplies and tools for my kitchen so I can cook more difficult dishes and decorate my cakes with the right tools. Most importantly, though, my true passion is music, so I would definitely spend some time doing trumpet lessons and cowrites with the greatest songwriters.

Our society is growing increasingly divided. It seems as though we have lost the ability to see our fellow humans as just that: humans. In this digital age, the majority of our interactions come from behind a screen with auto-fill messages, demonstrating that our priority for connection lies in quantity over quality. The impersonal niceties that are so common on digital platforms are accompanied by overly personal attacks on dissenters. When we’re protected by the anonymity of the digital world, actions seem inconsequential; people are losing the ability to take responsibility for themselves. The invincibility we all feel as digital citizens has only bolstered the controversies that the world is facing. Currently, the spotlight is on our screens, when it should be on humans, particularly our greatest musicians, actors, professors, and performers. With school and work operating from home for months, people have been trapped in the echo chambers that are their social media accounts, their families, and the news networks they choose to listen to. Without ever being confronted with opposing views, our understanding for each other, and our willingness to listen has all but disappeared. A liberal arts education can give me the experience in discussion and insight into how these divisions came to be that would give me the power to close this divide. Artists are vehicles for change, and as an artist, I believe that I can contribute to mitigating this social impasse with the skills offered by a liberal arts education accompanied by an education in music.

My true passion is music. I adore everything about it. I adore the collaboration, the creativity, the freedom, the discovery, and the true passion that is absolutely imperative to the process of creation. I have developed an honesty and sense of self through music that I would not have otherwise. The sole purpose of practicing is to work on parts of the music that are uncomfortable. I have spent every day of the past eight years challenging myself to move out of my comfort zone by realistically evaluating my progress and improving. Music has given me a voice – both figuratively and literally. As a songwriter, I have experience crafting language with melody to create multi-dimensional expression. As a performer, I have experience mobilizing that expression from a sound-image on paper to real sound that can change lives. And as a business owner, I have experience interacting with other professionals, running efficient rehearsals, and balancing the surprisingly empty satisfaction of monetary earnings and increased notoriety with the truly satiating power of song. Music gives me joy, and it has given me a vehicle to bring joy to others. That is a gift that I absolutely cannot be thankful enough for, and I know that I will forever continue to devote my time and my love to music.

It’s easy to become engulfed in our tiny realities. Every day I remind myself that there is an entire world of people, and that each person is living a life as complex and meaningful as my own. Even through traveling just our country on my band’s national tour, I observed so many different lifestyles and met such a diverse group of people at my shows. Every night, I marveled at the fact that even though we will probably never experience the other’s way of living, we were still connected through art. By traveling the world, I hope to gain a more complete understanding of the magnitude of our world, our cultures, and our human intricacies. Also, I am a lover of language; as a songwriter, I’ve spent many hours trying to perfectly craft lyrics to express precise emotions, and as a student of the Spanish language, I have devoted much of my time and energy these past four years into familiarizing myself with a language and culture that was once foreign to me. Through my studies, I have opened myself to an entire population that I had no chance of verbal connection with prior, and truly enhanced my songwriting, as I have a multi-dimensional experience with language. I have approached language as a grown and educated student, going all the way back to the basics and being relegated, once again, to a small vocabulary. I have learned how to say things in simpler terms, making me a more transparent and meaningful lyricist. My language studies can be greatly enhanced through travel. I want to be a world citizen and worldly artist, and the only way to do that, is by experiencing the world.

I have always wanted to be a part of a musical ensemble, and when I was younger, I auditioned to be a part of the honors youth choir. I practiced and practiced the audition song, “America the Beautiful.” Soon after the audition, I found out that I did not make it into the choir, and I was extremely disappointed; however, that did not stop me from singing. Since I wasn’t singing in an ensemble, I decided to become my own ensemble by learning guitar and eventually piano to accompany myself, and my sister took up the drums. Together, we had a band, and we still play shows together today. I did not let this initial rejection stop me; instead, I worked on music as a whole, learning trumpet and piano, and training in music theory as well. I’ve trained in multiple genres, and currently, I study trumpet in various ensembles at my performing arts high school in Houston. As a vocalist, I went on to be a Semifinalist on NBC’s The Voice, a YoungArts Finalist in Popular Voice (and Gold Award winner), and a touring musician playing my original music. I’ve had multiple songs chart, and I debuted at #11 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists Chart in 2018. I take instruction well, but I do not let rejection stop me.

My true passion is music. I adore everything about it. I adore the collaboration, creativity, freedom, discovery and true passion that is absolutely imperative to the process of creation. My biggest inspirations are Josh Ritter and Sara Bareilles; both are absolutely unbelievable songwriters. Songwriters have the responsibility of crafting language with melody to create multi-dimensional expression, and then mobilizing that expression from a sound-image on paper to real sound that can change lives when they perform, and all of these artists do just that.

My amazing pugs are both ten years old, and Perry (the black pug) is a sweet old fella, and Roo (the fawn pug) is a darling little gal. Roo loves having her belly petted, and she lays upside down, almost falling off the couch! Her ears get all floppy and her adorable eyes stare up begging us to pet her! Perry only sits with me, even though I'm his least favorite person in the family. I'm his "lowkey friend" because even though he pretends not to care about me, I'm secretly his favorite - but don't tell my sister!

As an artist, I am a believer in the power of human connection. Globally, we cannot function without it, and almost all of the beauty in our world that is not directly from nature is from human connection. I have always been passionate about special needs education, and I really enjoy combining my two passions: art and special needs. I designed a music curriculum for special needs students, organized a campaign to raise money for an inclusive field trip to the zoo, and I have been volunteering as a mentor with a group called United by Music North America for years. I am the first youth mentor for this national organization, and I have travelled to Memphis, Tennessee and Portland, Oregon to perform and mentor special needs adults to perform in ensembles. It’s very meaningful work, and it has definitely influenced the way I see the world and my art.

I have grown up in the Houston blues scene, where we have declared all of our living artists legends. All I knew when I was younger was that I wanted to sing. I had no genre preference or “career goals;” I just knew that I loved music – any and all of it. Around the age of ten, I attended a free music camp that was focused on the blues. The Houston Blues Society was in attendance at the showcase at the end of the camp, and my sister and I were plunged into the blues scene. The blues community really takes care of its limited number of youth artists, and when my sister and I joined the scene, we had so many artists take us under their wings. Anytime I was on a bill with other artists that I had grown up admiring, they would invite me onstage to sing with them, and they never hesitated to school me. I learned so much from watching their shows, and even more from singing alongside them. I was even introduced to Hammond organs from my time onstage with these amazing artists, and now I am an Official Hammond Artist (endorsee). I’ve come a long way, but I couldn’t have come as far as I have without the help of those kind and welcoming artists. I’ve worked extremely hard these past few years to represent my community and the artists who mentored me, but I’ve also gone in an original direction as an artist, working to balance tradition and progress. I am always looking to mentor others to pay back everything that I gained from my mentors, and I am still constantly in search of new knowledge from whatever sources are around me.

I have always wanted to be a part of a musical ensemble, and when I was younger, I auditioned to be a part of the honors youth choir. I practiced and practiced the audition song, “America the Beautiful.” Soon after the audition, I found out that I did not make it into the choir, and I was extremely disappointed; however, that did not stop me from singing. Since I wasn’t singing in an ensemble, I decided to become my own ensemble by learning guitar and eventually piano to accompany myself, and my sister took up the drums. Together, we had a band, and we still play shows together today. I did not let this initial rejection stop me; instead, I worked on music as a whole, learning trumpet and piano, and training in music theory as well. I’ve trained in multiple genres, and currently, I study trumpet in various ensembles at my performing arts high school in Houston. As a vocalist, I went on to be a Semifinalist on NBC’s The Voice, a YoungArts Finalist in Popular Voice (and Gold Award winner), and a touring musician playing my original music. I’ve had multiple songs chart, and I debuted at #11 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists Chart in 2018. I take instruction well, but I do not let rejection stop me.

Entertainment Lawyer

In 2018, I was a contestant on NBC's national singing competition, The Voice. I competed on the show at just 15 years old, and I went all the way to the semifinals. While I was on the competing, I was sure to showcase my musicianship as well as my voice. I became the first contestant to ever play trumpet or Hammond B-3 on the show, and as a result, I am now endorsed by Hammond Organ Company, and I still write music and play shows on trumpet, voice, and keys.