KINA GRANNIS

HOMETOWN: Mission Viejo, Calif.
INFLUENCES: Jason Mraz, Alanis Morissette, Vertical Horizon
ALBUM: Stairwells, out now
WEBSITE: kinagrannis.com

In 2007, Kina Grannis decided to upload her performance of her song “Message From Your Heart” to YouTube in hopes of winning a contest. Win it she did, earning the clip a televised airing during the Super Bowl—and an internet following that has since grown into the millions. “One of the most amazing things that came out of the whole experience was the relationship that formed between me and my supporters online,” Grannis says. “They were right there on the journey with me, and every bit of success I had was thanks to them.” Last year she independently released her debut album, Stairwells—which has just been re-released in remixed and expanded form on the indie label One Haven Music. “I just want to share my music with as many people as I can,” she says, “in the hopes that it can do some good for someone somewhere.”