Tonight, Malaysia will be in the company of yet another YouTube sensation. Yep, we know you know her already! She’s twenty seven year old Kina Grannis, an American guitarist and singer-songwriter of half-Japanese, English, French, Welsh, and Irish descent based in California.
Kina self taught herself to play the guitar and write songs when she was 16. Her first gig was at Diedrich Coffee in Mission Viejo, where she was also employed dispensing caffeinated beverages to bleary-eyed commuters. Since then she’s performed at a variety of venues around Orange County. Now a student at the University of Southern California, she’s also played at various LA venues, including USC, the Ragazzi Room, Genghis Cohen, The Cat Club, and the Knitting Factory.
Her latest video In Your Arms which took 22 months and 108,000 jelly beans to produce is the perfect introduction to her acoustic and pop genre type music.The video which used only 1 still camera, acquired over 3.5 million views in just over 3 weeks.
We also love her songs Valentine and The One You Say Goodnight To. Kina’s self produced tracks have an invoke a strong sense of honesty and soul that seems to be absent in mainstream music these days.
To celebrate Kina’s show tonight at Bentley Auditorium, here are some fun facts about her:
1. She is a middle child
2. She has two snakes
3. Kina Grannis is her real and legal name
4. Her favourite crayon color is cerulean
5. Her favourite food is sushi
6. In first grade, she wanted to be either a herpetologist or entomologist when she grew up
7. She likes making failed attempts at baking whole wheat pumpkin muffins
8. Her star sign is Leo
9. She is now studying at the University of Southern California
10. She is also and opera singer
We can’t wait to have Kina serenade us tonight with her sultry vocals and chirpy personality! First 50 people with ticket passes at Bentley Auditorium will also stand a chance to get up close with her in a Meet & Greet session. You can also follow Kina Grannis on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kinagrannis.
