The golden rule would be to write a great, authentic song that is well produced and it will find its home. The audience can feel whether or not the artist is being genuine in their music. It's up to the artist to have the courage to reveal their truth through their songs.

Eventually as a teenager, I was pulled up on stage by James Brown's saxophone player, Maceo Parker, during one of his concerts and scatted on his stage for 20 minutes. After I was done, Maceo's bass player got down on one knee as if he were proposing, took a string off of his bass guitar and coiled it up around my ring finger. He hushed the crowd and said into the microphone, "Wendy, from this day forward you are married to music. You have a gift from God. You must devote your life to using this gift or else you will deprive the world of something so special." I got the chills.

A good song can be produced in several different genres.

As a new artist you should ignore trends at all costs.

People get bored of hearing the same genre of music over and over again. Observe the current musical landscape and predict what "mood" people will be in next. Ask yourself what would be the most natural transition or reaction to the current genre. Then create it!

I have certainly faced my fair share and will likely come across more. These experiences have been fuel for my music. Facing these challenges has forced me to recognize my own inner strength.

Social media has been an incredible tool to connect to my fan base, and collaborate with people around the world. Some of my biggest breaks have come through people hearing my music on the Internet and then contacting me through social media.