my story

where it all began

As the daughter of an American diplomat and a Filipino immigrant, I had the unconventional upbringing of living overseas for most of my childhood. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, Guam, and Ecuador, I was able to experience music styles from vastly different cultures that revealed one commonality: the unifying aspect of music. Witnessing the communal experience of combining rhythm and melodies in one space was something I deeply yearned be apart of.

My father bought me my first guitar when I was 11 after I expressed interest in learning. I began teaching myself to sing and play piano, initially inspired by the powerful and heartfelt pop ballads of early ‘00s contemporary pop artists Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Michelle Branch, and Avril Lavigne. I had only performed my songs for those in my close circle up until I had begun attending college in central Virginia. I was offered several opportunities to perform songs that had only been heard in the walls of my bedroom.

credits

During my early venture into the music world, I opened for SHEL, The Vespers, POP ETC, Nightbirde (AGT Season 16 Golden Buzzer) and played live shows with Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon (American Idol Season 17 Top 6), Peter Collins, and many more. In 2016, I was commissioned to write and perform a song at the famous Blue Bird Café in Nashville (where Taylor Swift was first discovered). My original song was personally selected by Grammy award-winning manager Denise Stiff (Alison Krauss, O Brother Where Art Thou) for American Girl’s 2017 Doll of the Year, “Songwriter” and served as inspiration in a series of books for other young aspiring musicians.

From humble coffee shops to the main stage of music festivals, I knew I had found my calling in music and decided to release my first EP, Revisiting Doors — a collection of songs I had written during my teenage years, inspired by 80s synth pop and the cinematic sounds of Lana Del Rey, Gabrielle Aplin, and London Grammer.

hiatus and return

I was still very unsure of who I was as a musician when I first released my EP in 2016. Two years prior to the release, my family and I went through the traumatic experience of losing my younger sister, Kristin, to suicide. I knew I had to take a step back and pick up the pieces because healing was not possible from my vantage point on stage. So I put dreams of pursuing music on the shelf, promising I would return someday.

I took on a new adventure as a flight attendant for a commercial airline and lived in New York City for four years. Despite having the time of my life reliving the experience of travel from my childhood, I felt that I was missing something crucial in my life: an outlet for my creativity. I found myself humming melodies on the airplane jumpseat as I was shuffled from the east coast to west, London to Paris, and everywhere in between. I couldn’t get the composition of melodies I’d written out of my head.

On July 23rd 2021, I released my first single in five years “Golden,” something I wrote many moons ago. The experience of creating music again was all I needed to make the decision to stay. I hope you do too.