-What and who has inspired you the most in your artistic career?

I have been blessed to have had many great people in my life and teachers over the years but the one person that I am most grateful for inspiring me is my late fiancé and co-writer of my album, Erick. He changed my life and enriched it in such positive ways. To have unconditional love is a rare thing on this planet and I definitely don’t take that for granted. He knew my potential, he believed in me and I absolutely love the instrumental pieces of music he wrote for me. When he suddenly and unexpectedly passed away in 2007, three days after we got engaged, I got to see how strong I really was and decided to finish our project on my own. Our project was only half complete at that point and as I had so much emotion during that difficult time of grief I chose to find my courage and channel my heart and soul into the songs and write all the lyrics and melody. I was pushed so far out of my comfort zone and have since grown and learned so much about myself. Once again I got to put in practice all that I had honed as a child studying music to then watching Erick in the studio producing bands for years. Finishing my album by laying the vocal tracks and producing our album at Trackdown, Fox Studios was very important to me and definitely a magical experience I will never forget. I wanted to make him proud, complete our project and keep my promise I made at his bedside. And I have! The unique way this album has come to be is nothing short of miraculous and I feel very blessed. “Tragic Fairytale” is my homage to him and a very special song about love, loss and grief and a reminder to keep an open heart, despite the pain, because true love can never die.

-Every true artist is also a revolutionary against power. Do you think there is still room today to express one’s revolution through art?

Absolutely, I do. Creating my documentary short film Change The World and the soundtrack and seeing my art and life journey inspire people around the world and touch their hearts is such a wonderful gift that I am very grateful for. I have deep compassion for myself and every other woman who has suffered any form of violence and I am honored to use my voice for good and speak for those who can’t. My spirit couldn’t be silenced and to now be heard in every country is something so special and is very hard to describe. When I look back at what I have endured and the miracle of surviving the murder attempt to now having my voice heard and winning these special film festival awards is something I could never have imagined would happen! I vowed to make a stand and leave this world a better place than I found it and I am committed. Women are now finding their voice and self-worth and it is fabulous to see. I feel future generations will look back at this point in time with fascination, shock, and dismay and also awe at the courage women have shown by standing up and speaking out about the injustices and violence they have suffered since time immemorial. The social fabric is changing and I’m hopeful the momentum will continue and begin to move more quickly. I see the future in a positive light. I believe change is possible and that we are at the dawn of a new day. As more and more women are in leadership positions, the world will naturally become a more inclusive one and love will become the focus again. Violence will no longer be a silent global epidemic, all girls will receive an education, and helping others will become our primary goal. We have set the wheels in motion to ensure future generations have a safer and more equal world. My message is one of peace, love and unity and being an example of how to turn tragic into magic is the legacy I am creating. Power to the people and music is the universal language. One should always feel empowered to share their voice through art.

-We live in a world where, unfortunately, war still exists. Do you believe that if there were more dissemination of art through the media and social networks, the world would be a more peaceful place?

That is a every interesting and complex question. It breaks my heart to watch the news and see that war is still happening in the Middle East, Europe and around the world. To think that these atrocities are still happening on Earth in this day and age, is beyond my comprehension. Unfortunately, we live in a society that’s strucuture is built on power, and places such emphasis on status, wealth, beauty and fame. For independent artists of any genre, they are faced with the difficulty of having their work heard or seen in a market that is flooded and algorithms in place. I truly believe that peace starts within and we are all responsible for our own healing. That being said, art can definitely inspire the masses and cause a revolution. We are lucky to live in a time where we have social media and can be in control of our own destiny and choose to put our work out for people to find. If your voice is clear it will resonate and artists need to believe in themselves and create without the desire for an audience. The creative process for me is always organic and I have never been motivated by fame, money or others’ approval. I merely speak and sing from my heart and I am very grateful that I have been heard and am inspiring people. There is no greater joy for me than to know that what I have endured has not been in vain and in fact is touching hearts around the world. If that is what you call “a love revolution” then I can die happy knowing I made a positive difference in this world.

-Are you working on a new project? If so, can you give us a sneak peek?

I am working on a new documentary film right now and even though I can’t say too much at this point, I am very excited to share this film once completed. It’s in alignment with my documentary feature film tetralogy and women empowerment.