Kina Grannis
Kina Grannis
Kina Kasuya Grannisis an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. Grannis was the winner of the 2008 Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. As a result of winning, she earned a recording contract with Interscope Records and had her music video played during the commercials of Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008. She won Best Web-Born Artist at the 2011 MTV O Music Awards...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPop Singer
Date of Birth4 August 1985
CityMission Viejo, CA
CountryUnited States of America
My first performance was in AP Calculus when they forced me up into the front of the classroom and made me sing a song, which was really scary, but it was fun.
Since I don't feel like I belong solely to any one of them I find that it makes me even more interested and open to other cultures as well. It's also fun looking ethnically ambiguous because no one can quite put a finger on what I am and it's very entertaining to me!
Being hapa, or more specifically, half-Japanese half-Euro mutt (English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, French, Welsh, German. . .in case you were wondering), has definitely helped shape who I am. It's very cool to get to identify and learn about all these unique cultures and I think it's helped put the world in perspective.
The potential success that could come with signing with a major label didn't quite outweigh how important it was for me to make my music the way I knew it needed to be made.
My dream artists to collaborate with are probably Cee Lo Green and Imogen Heap. They're completely out of my genre but they're both musical geniuses.
Making a video is one of the most exciting things for artists and fans. It's like a payoff.
If you're looking to make a basic living selling and playing your music, the Internet is all you really need.
I'm really into good nutrition and keeping healthy! That said, I'm also addicted to candy - It's my biggest weakness.
However, it [singing] wasn't until halfway through high school that it dawned on me that singing wasn't just a hobby, it was something I had a growing need for in my life, and that was about when I adopted the neglected guitar I found under our piano and started singing about all the things I could never say.
I want to encourage people to make healthy life choices, whether it's training for a half-marathon, or eating more vegetables.
I think a lot of singer-songwriters get compared to each other, but I'd like to think that what I'm doing is special and specific to me.
I get to travel around the world and meet all of these amazing people, and they're singing my songs! And to me, that's crazy.
I don't have any rock star demeanor to me. I just can't pull that off.
My two sisters and I sang all the time. Whenever we cleaned the kitchen, we sang in three-part harmony.