I have been exposed to most musical genres and have learned how to tackle them effectively.

Pressure is high and jobs are at stake. There is nothing wrong with having commercial music to pitch for those situations, as well as for ad campaigns.

We're living in a time of so much clutter that has allowed everyone to express themselves at any moment. We have access into people's lives like never before. It's a lot to take in and it's easy to get overwhelmed and swallowed up in it.

I first got interested in music as a toddler by my childhood babysitter, Rosetta Atkins. She taught me how to sing by imitating the voices on the gospel radio station she listened to - both men and women's voices.

In Europe, radio stations are owned by a variety of different entities, so there is less uniformity on radio programming and more opportunity for artists to get radio play and break overseas.

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.

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