I look up to Andrea Boccelli and Sarah Brightman. The best part about 'America's Got Talent' was performing with her!

Celine Dion is my major inspiration.

The only thing that really inspired me for singing was the movie and musical 'Phantom of the Opera.' I went to see it in the theaters, and I loved it so much. And when I got home, I started singing the songs around the house, and my mom thought I was really good, so she asked me if I wanted to do a talent competition. And I said, 'Yes, definitely.'

The music kind of possesses me when I sing. So whenever I start to sing on a show - I mean, first, I'm nervous, and then when I get into it, it's just like I feel like I'm the person who sang the song first.

I warm up with my mom and make sure I understand what the songs are about, and make sure I'm using the right technique. To be honest with you, I really don't practice a lot... Usually I say a prayer and ask the Lord to sing with me and help me and stand on the stage with me.

I don't think I'll ever want to do pop music. I think I'll only ever want to do classical crossover because it's something that I love, and pop just doesn't work for me.

I still have my school friends who are actually friends. It's nice that they don't think much about my singing career. They think it is cool, and they are happy for me, but they don't really bother me about it. To them, I'm still just the schoolgirl from next door.