Interview: Karina Pasian - Singer and Pianist - Page 5

Although you have formal musical training, when did you really become aware of your talents? Was there a specific moment?

Well, when I was 7 years old, I was really obsessed with the movie Titanic. I really loved the theme song, "My Heart Will Go On," and I just sat on the piano and played it by ear and started singing it at the same time. My dad was like, "Whoa!" Same with my mother, everybody. That’s when I really thought, "Wow, I’m singing and playing the piano." Since then, I always knew that music was in me and that this business was something I wanted to pursue.

Several media outlets have compared you to Alicia Keys. How do you feel about that? In what ways are you alike and in what ways are you not alike?

I love being compared to her. She’s somebody that’s way beyond my years and has been really successful and she’s somebody that I look up to. I feel like that’s just an honor for me, somebody who’s 17 years old and being compared to her. Even when she just came out and I was 9 and I saw her, I said, "Oh my goodness! She’s doing what I do. She’s doing the exact same thing that I do." It was just funny to me. Being compared to her is just amazing to me. I would say that even though I’m compared to her, people still see who I am. I love the comparison, but I still want people to get to know me through my music.

In June 2007 you were one of a select group of people to perform for President Bush at the White House. What memories shine bright from that moment?

Just me pulling up to the White House was like "Whoa!" When I saw it, I was like, "Wow, I’m actually about to go inside of it and perform!" So, it was just amazing to me to be selected when I was 15 years old. I didn’t have a single out or any record or anything. It just felt like such a big accomplishment to be performing there.

For the performance, you decided to perform "Misty." As a lover of jazz, what do you think younger artists can do to make it appealing to a generation that might think it’s a little bit too old school?

Article Author: Clayton Perry

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