Manika quotes:

There are so many different musicians I look up to for different reasons - from hip-hop to rock to pop. Some are Alanis Morissette, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Pink, Avril Lavigne, Beyoncé, Lil Wayne.

When I was little - like in preschool - I was very shy, but whenever I went on stage I just exploded. Ever since then I knew that this was what I wanted to do. Music has always been a part of me, music is my passion.

I get butterflies in my stomach before I perform. I love them! They let me know I'm ready to perform, that I'm ready to rock out on stage.

For me my passion is music. I just can't let it go!

I always have melodies flowing in my head - whether I'm just at home, at the mall, at a restaurant or wherever. I'm always humming along to the random melodies that form in my head.

I get my inspiration from everyday life, things people my age are going through in life, good and bad experiences.

I like playing an array of different roles. From the fun, comedic roles to the serious roles. It's always fun to play the role that either closely represents your own personality or the role that is completely opposite of yourself.

I approach song writing three different ways. One way is where I write the initial melody and lyrics first and then take it in to the producer to collaborate. Another way is where the producer sends me his initial musical track ideas and then I write the lyrics and melody over his track. The third way is where we just jam out in the studio and see what we come up with.

I love hearing strong, confident beats in music because I love to dance. At the same time, melody is really important to me because I love singing.

It's always amazing seeing the song-writing process. A song just starts off as just an idea or a story you want to tell. It keeps building and building when you add the lyrics, the instruments, the vocals until you finally reach the finished song other people can enjoy.

It's really important to me that my sound is a combination of beats and melody.

I've always been an all around creative person. Song writing and writing are great ways for me to express myself.