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People thought me a bit strange at first; a blond haired, blue-eyed Norwegian who sang Mexican folk songs, but I used it to my advantage and got a job. And so the music became my ticket to education.

I grew up singing. My mother was a music teacher.

I made a living being a background singer for years.

I was homeless and I was in San Diego and I started singing in a local coffee shop and people started coming to hear me sing.

I grew up in The Bronx. I mean, I was born and raised in New York City. And I started singing in Spanish because I was always just connected to my Latin roots.

I grew up listening to popular music. My father was a Peruvian folk singer. He played the guitar at home. He sang songs with a waltzing rhythm, yet you can still hear the Spanish influences. I accompanied him to his performances.

I was taken in by the bravado and the sounds of Mexico... not so much the music, but the spirit.

From a young age, I was encouraged to sing, dance and learn folk and popular songs in Spanish.

Mexican music runs through my veins. I loved it. Growing up, my father didn't allow us to listen to English music at home. That's all I heard. I had no choice.

I lived for music since I could think.