My mother and grandmother always told me I started singing before I could talk. I would always laugh it off and blame it on the television shows I used to watch. My mom would shake her head and argue that it was not Barney and Disney Channel, that I had natural talent. As far as I can remember, music has been a main factor of my childhood. In fact, music is really the only thing I can vividly remember of my childhood. I always tell Mama that every memory I can recall has its own song to go with it, and that I could make a soundtrack to my childhood if I could. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. We would always have the radio on full blast-- in our home, the car, outside-- and without hesitation, I always sang along. The only time I would really belt out, however, was when nobody was around. I never paid any attention to how I sounded, in fact I didn’t even know I had a “good” voice, I was just like any other little girl singing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush as a microphone and a dream. Nobody knew of this dream of mine, or know the talent I possessed, until one day.
It was a weekend, I believe, and Mama and I had just finished cleaning the house, as usual. She told me she was going to the grocery store, so I hopped into the run-down shower in our too-small bathroom. Before getting in, of course, I popped in my favorite CD: Aaliyah’s “One in a Million” album. Thinking that I was