Thirteen years ago I moved from Denver, Colorado to Los Angeles after turning down a songwriting scholarship to Berklee College of Music. I was only 18 years old and my parents were dumbfounded. They knew how much I believed in my music though, so they stood by me as I began grinding in out in the Hollywood live music scene. It wasn't easy -- in fact for a few years it wasn't even anything at all. I was working three jobs, had no money, and needed to make something happen. I grew up doing musical theater and commercials as a kid, so my mom suggested I audition for anything on TV just to help pay the bills (whose mom does that?). I got my first manager through an acting coach I was training with and boom... it took off. I landed my first starring role on NBC's "Days Of Our Lives." From there it was a fairly steady flow of other opportunities and guest star roles, but it wasn't what I really wanted. I wanted to do my music. I spent as much time trying to hock my songs to the shows' music supervisors as I did on set acting. Finally an audition came along for a show where I could put my singing chops to work. I spent four years starring on Nickelodeon's "The Fresh Beat Band," and although it was great to finally be singing again, it still wasn't satiating me. I needed to express my own voice, write my own songs, and be my own artist, and so I departed from my acting career completely to begin my most recent journey. I got back to basics and began diving into my songwriting again. I also put my home studio together and started learning how to produce on my own. I didn't want to have any excuses. I didn't want anything holding me back. Now it's just me, my instruments, and good recording equipment. So here I am, starting from the bottom of the mountain again and climbing little by little every day. My new goal: be the first female ever to win a Grammy for Producer of the Year. I want to soak up every chance and every tiny morsel of knowledge anyone is willing to share with me so I can get one step closer to making that dream come true.