Karina, Karina

As the music industry continues its downward slump, new artists are finding it harder and harder to establish themselves and their music in this unforgiving and brutal marketplace. However, one of the few new artists that show strong potential to break through and rise to the top of the music scene is 16-year-old singer Karina Pasian. The Dominican prodigy has been making a name for herself throughout the industry, having performed for a countless number of industry heavyweights like Quincy Jones, Alicia Keys and Bono.  Now the youngest star on the Island/Def Jam roster, the New York native has the world buzzing with her first single, “16 @ War.” Her highly anticipated debut album, First Love, drops next month and features contributions from Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, Gordon Chambers, Lil Mama and Ne-Yo to name a few. Karina is poised for greatness.
 
Talk about your first single “16 @ War.”
 
“16 @ War” is about all the young people that are going through everyday struggles and bringing awareness to everybody that deals with peer pressure and trying to fit in with the “cool” crowds.  I am trying to send a positive message so people don’t have to feel like they have to do the wrong stuff to fit in. It defines me as an artist because all my songs are positive and they have messages that I want to send to all of my fans.
 
How long have you been working on First Love?
 
It took about two years, but that’s because I recorded about 70 songs. It was hard to pick the songs for the album because there were a lot of songs that I loved. We’ll probably use them for the second album. It was just a great process to see and be in the studio with writers and see how they do everything.
 
Did you do any writing on this album?
 
No, I didn’t get to write, but we had a lot of input. Probably for my second album I’ll get to write.
 
How important is it for your music to have integrity and substance, being that a lot of mainstream music out right now lacks that?
 
I feel that it’s important because music has the ability to change people’s lives. Music speaks to everybody, so as an artist, it’s important for me to deliver a positive message with my music.
 
What is your favorite song on the album?
 
My favorite song on the album is “First Love” because it’s the title of my album and it’s about my love for music and how I can relate to it all the time
 
You consider Quincy Jones to be your “godfather.” What role has he played in your career thus far?
 
He’s gotten me experience by bringing me to Rome for an event that he had called “We Are the Future” when I was about 12 and he brought me to the Hispanic Heritage Awards and I also sang at his tribute. So he’s been giving me a lot of experience and words of wisdom too.
 
When did you realize that you had a gift for music?
 
When I was 7, I sang at a talent show at school my dad used to teach at, and that’s when I put singing and the piano together. I loved the way the audience received what I did so it was a great feeling and I knew that I wanted to do this for my whole life.
 
What message do you have for the young people out there?
 
I really want to encourage everybody to do the right thing, to make the right choices. I really want them to pursue their dreams and never give up and always keep going for their goals and not let anybody stop them no matter what.
 
You’re traveling across the country on your radio promo tour. How does it feel to be on the verge of blowing up?
 
It’s a great feeling. It is a lot of hard work because when you’re younger, you just want to be on stage, but it is a lot of hard work to maintain it and you have to be dedicated. I have the right team around me and I’ve always been focused and doing what I do. It’s just great to finally be on the road and promoting my single and my video.