• July 8, 1992
• She was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Brazilian-Portuguese father and a Native American mother.
• Her grandmother was Michael Jackson's longtime hair stylist, so she grew up seeing the King of Pop at holidays and family functions.
• Much of her work comes out of the frustration of not being understood, whether it's by the music industry who tried to package her as a shiny pop star or by the public who branded her a "troubled artist" after a 2013 arrest for drug possession. She told Time Out Melbourne of her debut album: "I'm not a confrontational person and I'm really sensitive, so I feel like the only way I can express what I feel is through song, because I can't seem to do it in real life. I wasn't thinking, 'I need to change the world,' but I knew I needed to make a record that represented myself. Because nobody really knew me and I had a lot of stuff to say. I kept it inside for so long. I was so angry and it was sitting in me for years."
• The first album she ever bought was Fiona Apple's Tidal when she was six years old.
• On songwriting: "I don't really have a songwriting process. It either happens or it doesn't. I'll just hear a word or see something or read something, and that's it."
• She said the best songwriting tip she ever received was from record producer Jon Brion, who encouraged her to "just write the way you actually talk and think."
• She dropped out of high school when she was 15.
• She uses meditation to help cope with stage fright. She explained to Time Out Melbourne: "I've tried everything, like imagining people aren't there. Sunglasses really help me. Getting drunk does not help - people used to shove alcohol in my face, but it never helps, it just makes me look stupid and makes me have worse stage fright the next time."

Comments

More Songfacts:

DowntownPetula Clark

When Petula Clark reached #1 in the US with "Downtown" in 1965, she became the first female singer from England to hit #1 in the US during the Rock Era (after 1955).

We're Not Gonna Take ItTwisted Sister

Musically, the Twisted Sister song "We're Not Gonna Take It" is based on the Christmas tune "O Come All Ye Faithful."

You Don't Know How It FeelsTom Petty

MTV reversed the word "joint" in Tom Petty's "You Don't Known How It Feels" so it was unintelligible, but gave the video a VMA anyway.

Just Give Me A ReasonPink

Pink wrote "Just Give Me A Reason" about how one partner can feel jilted over something trivial, like how her boyfriend passes her the butter.

E.T.Katy Perry

Katy Perry's song "E.T." came from a beat originally intended for the rap group Three Six Mafia. When her producer accidentally pulled up the beat, Perry asked to use it.

Cat's In The CradleHarry Chapin

Harry Chapin's wife Sandy wrote the lyrics to "Cat's In The Cradle," which were actually about her first husband.

Editor's Picks

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.