(continued)
You have a musical theater background?
Yeah. Most productions that I’ve been a part of have been musicals. My dad was the president of a local playhouse for a good 10 years of my childhood growing up.
I was either backstage doing makeup, helping with costumes -- or I was onstage. And when I wasn’t doing that, we were involved in Renaissance fairs. We would get dressed up and speak with accents -- just do fun reenacting stuff. I’ve grown up with theater and acting and music my entire life and singing since I was in theater productions from a young age. I started playing piano when I was 12 years old.
And we didn’t get any of that in your audition intro. It was all about your modeling.
There’s another thing about me actually that nobody knows. I have a huge surgical history. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when I was 10 years old.
And how has that affected you since?
You can’t judge a book by its cover because you never know what people have been through. I conquered a disease when I was 14 that literally would have taken my life. I had to make the decision to have my large intestine removed or not. I consider myself a survivor.
It’s made me a lot stronger. I would like to bring awareness to ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s Disease, because I know that there are a lot of people who struggle with that and it’s not a disease that is easy to talk about.
No it isn’t.
It’s not really in the mainstream like cancer awareness. This sounds so Miss America, everything I’ve been telling you, but like I’ve always wanted to influence the world in a positive way.
But it is hard to be taken seriously being a model-turned-singer, whatever. The whole model thing, I don’t think it’s negative, but I think that the more I talk to people like you and you get my story out there, more people will begin to understand that I’m a real person. I have a love for music that at an early age, and, you know, I struggle with a disease. Music is my passion and it’s something that I’ve loved forever. I’m going to die doing this.
While the show certainly focused on your having been a model I think you came off as very real and heartfelt in your performance.
Oh, that’s good. When they showed that clip of me walking around and like posing with the music and stuff. I was like, “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe they used that.”
You know, “It just sounds like heels.” I think it’s hilarious.
Well, they were clearly playing off Cee Lo’s love of the ladies too.
Yeah. Absolutely. It’s all good. I want to focus on my music and as the show progresses. We’re going into the battle rounds now.
Have you chosen a song for the battle rounds, or can you even talk about it?
I can’t talk about that. Sorry [laughs].
Moving along then -- I’m really jealous of this next tidbit about you. Your song “Balloon” was on Pretty Little Liars. How did that come to pass? Was it a song you wrote?
Yeah. I have two EPs on iTunes at the moment. I’ve written over 150 original songs. The Pretty Little Liars thing is so cool. There’s actually a YouTube video up right now, well it’s been up since the episode came out, of me like staring at the screen and waiting for it to come on and then freaking out saying like, “I got the kissing scene.”
Oh, I watch it.
Oh. You watched it?
Yeah, I did.
That’s so funny. Yeah. I was so excited. We had a little red carpet party for that. My manager, you know, my manager’s great. He got my song on that show.
Are you a fan of the show?
Honestly, I never watched the show before I watched that episode, simply because I don’t have cable. I hadn’t until I got on The Voice, but I started watching NBC and now I’m like stuck to the TV. Prior to that I didn’t watch much and so I had never watched the show. I know it has a huge fan base, a huge following.
It’s great exposure.
Once in a while people say, “Oh my gosh, you had a song on Pretty Little Liars. I love ‘Balloon.’”
I think I may lead a campaign to have you on Glee, if you don’t mind.
Oh my gosh. Please.
Ok [laughs]. Do you have a dream song you would do on that show?
On Glee? Oh man. Way to put me on the spot.
I’m sorry.
I have so many songs that I love. Can I get back to you on that one?
Absolutely.
Okay.
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