iSound

"My album is the result of a lot of sacrifice and hard work by a lot of people. It draws from everyday experiences young girls my age go through, but the songs can be enjoyed by anyone." With such a strong message and an ambitious debut album soon to be released, Jhene is poised to make an impact on audiences in a big way. However, long before recording began her debut album, Jhene was a star in the making.
Jhene has always had a knack for making music. At age five, the pint-sized performer penned her first song by reciting a rap she'd written in her living room. "I didn't know how to write yet," she recalls. "So I told my mom, 'I'm going to tell you something and you write it down for me.'"

This first sign of talent provoked her mom, Tina, to enroll Jhene in a professional dance troupe run by a family friend. "I started when I was three," says the L.A. native, who took ballet, jazz, and tap with her older sisters, Miyoko and...