I went into college undeclared. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I knew that music was obviously this central big important thing in my life that I was gonna keep doing.

My two sisters and I sang all the time. Whenever we cleaned the kitchen, we sang in three-part harmony.

I posted a video a day for almost two months and was hardly sleeping, but I think it really pushed me to give music everything I had in me. I knew it was a chance I couldn't miss. The funny thing is I never saw my music video when it aired during the Super Bowl because as soon as I heard my song start I was in tears for the next 10 minutes! The most amazing thing that came out of all of this, however, was the support that had developed online. Without the people that came back day after day to vote for me, I'd be nowhere, and I really owe it all to them.

Being hapa, or more specifically, half-Japanese half-Euro mutt (English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, French, Welsh, German. . .in case you were wondering), has definitely helped shape who I am. It's very cool to get to identify and learn about all these unique cultures and I think it's helped put the world in perspective.

If you're looking to make a basic living selling and playing your music, the Internet is all you really need.

I want to encourage people to make healthy life choices, whether it's training for a half-marathon, or eating more vegetables.

I get to travel around the world and meet all of these amazing people, and they're singing my songs! And to me, that's crazy.