What are your major musical influences?

I have always been surrounded by music. My first memories are of jazz in my Dad's car (John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Duke Ellington) and Italian opera (Pavarotti, Caruso, Domingo) in my grandmother's kitchen. My first musical crush was on the Beatles, when I was 12 and I listened to every album or 8-track I could get my hands on.

When did you start writing music?

I started writing music when I was 15 or 16. At that point, I had been taking guitar lessons for about 2 years and discovered that I liked to fiddle with what I was learning.

Why write music?

As time wears on, music has taken center stage in my life. I don’t ever attempt to write a song, but I let the song find me. Often, it is music and melody first, followed by the lyrics. I have no choice when I write. A new song is like a good friend that shows up at my door unexpectedly.