I was born in Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, Canada – a small town in the middle of nowhere, with a great view of the northern lights (I highly suggest taking a trip at least once in your life to see them – they are truly magical).
From the age of three years old, I knew that I wanted to be a singer. I would tell my mom that I loved being on stage and seeing the people in the crowd smile back at me when I was performing. I guess I’ve always been kind of a people-pleaser – making people happy brings me joy.
My mom took me all over Canada from the time I was really little until I was about 18 years old, performing in competitions and talent shows just about every weekend.
When I was 17, I was struggling with the decision of chasing my dreams and doing music full time, or going to school to get a degree that would get me a “real job.”
Then, my life changed and the decision was obvious – I was diagnosed with Stage 2 B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I went through six months of chemotherapy, lost my hair and everything else I thought made me me.
But, in that experience, I saw the world from a different angle that most don’t have the opportunity to. I met incredible people that would forever stay with me in memory, understood that life really is short so you must make the most of it, and found that love and happiness truly are the most important things.
Having cancer opened my eyes to more possibilities than I would have ever imagined. I knew that I was going to do music for the rest of my life. I was going to find a way to help people with my music by giving them a voice. My slogan, “sign and be heard,” was created with my fans in mind. I want to sing their stories, connect with them and make them feel they’re not alone.
While I was in the hospital getting treatment, the nurses would always ask me to go to the other patients in my room and try to cheer them up. They said I had the best attitude and they wanted it to spread to others.
Helping people while pursuing my passion for music makes me thrive and brings me happiness. Having cancer and seeing how short life can be made me work and try harder to achieve the things I want in life.
In the end, all I really want to do is to give people the hope and understanding that, no matter what circumstances life has thrown at them, they can overcome them with grace. You can thrive in whatever environment you land in!