The name "Aelita" is an english name meaning "noble" for females, but it's also the name of a not-so-well-known rose. My mom's name, Miran, is very similar to the name of the rose, Mirany. She's a great role model in my life, and it's important to me if I use a rose name as well. I also wanted to stay unique. When I found out that a rose was named Aelita, I decided to use the name.

I have played live several times. There was one time when I performed an accoustic version of "Keep it Up" at two school assemblies - one team-wide, one school-wide - when I was in Grade seven. With the exception of this year, which was because I was a alumni of the program, I usually perform my latest songs at the Year End Galas of the BC program of the School Alliance of Student Songwriters. I couldn't be fitted into the program this year because of lack of time.

My most special time would be when I performed in front of my peers at school for the first time. It's a bittersweet moment for me, because I did get my voice heard, but at the same time, I got backlash for it, as it was talking about my bullying experiances at the school, and it was basically addressing almost half of the student body, so, yes, while the moment was special, it was also something that I had problems going through. I'm not exactly the most "normal" person out there, and my way of thinking often intimidates people - even adults, but especially my teenage peers - which is why I'm often rejected by the majority. It was only just recentl that I started making a large group of friends. ^^;

In a way, I think it can be positive, but at the same time, it's negative. I admit, I do download music mp3s off of Limewire or something because my parents won't let me buy any more music CDs after my Jump 5 phase, which was when I bought almost all of their CDs up until their second-last CD, "Shooting Star."

But if you go to sites that actually SELL mp3s and pay the royalties to the songwriters and the artists, then it's a little more positive on that side. It's not as expensive as buying a complete CD at a retail store, but it's not exactly free either, so it's kind of like the artist and the fan are making a deal when they're trying to get their hands on one of their songs for under 20 bucks.

Hell no! I don't want some jackass manager hovering over my shoulder and telling me what and what not to do! I'd rather take the hard road and live life my way, rather than having to collapse under the pressure of the overwhelming tours, overtime recording sessions, and all that fun stuff. I'd rather work with my own budget - no matter how small it is - and choose where I want to perform.

A lot of young musicians want to be seen by a scouting agent or a major label and get a record contract with them, but that's because they don't know half of the story. They think it's all about the glamour, having gigantic worldwide tours when you feel like it, and releasing a new hit single every month or so. But it's a lot more uglier than that. I've met a couple of indie artists that have struggled with the record label companies because they were making them do things that they didn't want to do. Jamiroquai, for instance, he was signed with Sony BGM for a couple of years, but the lead singer HATED working for them, because they weren't making them musicians, but they were making them "products" instead. According to him, 90% of it was all advertising, etc, and the other 10% was actually recording and doing other musical stuff. I don't want to be turned into a product! I want to be pure music! I don't want to be a wanna-be pop star anymore, and I don't want to have to follow a certain trend just so I can be accepted by my fans! I want them to listen to my music and THEN decide if they want to be a fan or not.

Well, I've only just started. ^^ Give me a year or two, and I'll have some stuff.

Well, it depends. I grew up with oldies songs like Celine Dion in her younger years, the Goo Goo Dolls, Shania Twain, the list just goes on and on. Recently I've started listening to more mainstream, but certain styles still don't really suit my taste. K-Pop and J-Pop are also a couple of my influences, but mostly it's just the accoustic pop styles. But, I think my biggest influences are my mentors, David Blair and Don McLeod, as well as my favourite indie stars, Classified and dbClifford.

Instrumental-wise, mostly it's just the stuff that I hear on CBC Classical radio. I don't know who performs what, but I like them, and I'm inspired by them. The only instrumental performer I actually know the name of is Yiruma, a Korean pianist that is internationally famous for his sad and relaxing music style. Another pianist that I am very much inspired by is Robin Spielberg. The first song I ever heard from her was "Remember Me" when my mom used a legally embedded version of the song for a couple of her blog entries. After that, the rest I listened to on her website. ^^

My favourite city right now would have to be both Jasper, Alberta and my hometown, Coquitlam, British Columbia. I have a liking for small towns that don't have a whole lot of industrial things going on. Maybe that's why I'm more into the accoustic styles rather than mainstream. ^^;

Not much. ^^; Right now, I only have Audacity and a headset mic that I use to record accoustic tracks and covers for some of the songs I listen to for fun and practice. I'm saving up for a full recording studio, considering that I only have the program and not the right equipment. ^^;

Um... I'm Korean~! ^v^

I also tend to over-use Asian emoticons when I write online.

I also like anime, but not so much to actually obsess over it. Not as much as I would with video games. Yeah, I'm a nerd~ An Asian nerd at that!