Angela Crandall isn’t the typical SFS sophomore. This 19-year-old science, technology and international affairs major not only has to balance the academic demands of being a Georgetown student, but is also thinking about the premiere of her first album. From the age of two, when she grabbed a microphone and started singing, to this past December, when she released “Shine,” a collection of jazz vocal tracks, Crandall has constantly cultivated her vocal skills. She is the daughter of a jazz musician and hails from Hawaii. In an interview with THE HOYA, Crandall talks about her childhood in the Aloha State, her musical life at Georgetown and her participation in the upcoming Hawaii Music Awards. When and how did you start learning music? y dad is a jazz [musician] and has been doing it for years and years. He moved to Hawaii for jazz, he got a job there and then 20 years later, I was born. I was sort of raised around music. From two years old, I was singing. After one of my dad’s jobs, I went up to the microphone and started singing. It was at Unity Church in Hawaii, and the pastor saw me and went, “Oh my gosh, let’s have her sing at the service.” When I was in third grade my dad started a weekly jazz concert, and so I started singing regularly at that. Every week, I was learning a new song, and that was when I was 10 years old. So by the time I was a senior in high school, I had learned a lot of songs, and that was pretty much when the idea for the CD developed. I mean, I have done a couple of weddings and that sort of thing, and my dad had a couple of recordings out. And so he [said], “Why don’t we put together a list of songs that you like and you are interested in?” And so during the summer of senior year, I went and recorded. All the music was done before I came to college, and then I came to college I was adjusting here. [Hawaii] was pretty far, I had to coordinate things. It was pretty much put on the back [burner] until this summer, when I gave graphics with an artist in Hawaii, and I finished mastering and then got it out in December. What are the specific characteristics of your music, and how did you choose your songs? I did not write any of these songs, and none of them are original tunes per se, although two of them are both original compositions of one of the friends of my dad’s, who gave us permission and wanted us to do them. The other 10, they all have something special about them. “Rise and Shine” was the song that my parents used to wake me up. Things like that, little connections. All these songs were special for me, I guess. I had a hard time choosing because there were so many songs that I liked, but eventually when you put them all together was essentially what decided it. Are you inspired by any famous musicians? y musical inspiration tends to be from other jazz women including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, Astrud Gilberto, and Stacy Kent. What is your favorite song, both on the CD and in general? On the CD, I think I’m most satisfied with “The Best Is Yet to Come” ” if not just because it was the most challenging for me to record. In general, right now I think “Sophisticated Lady,” “You Must Believe in Spring,” and “A Blossom Fell” are in my list of top songs. Do you sing on any of your dad’s CDs? I am on one of my dad (Rich Crandall)’s CDs on a duet we did called “Glory of Love.” I was five at the time and needless to say, my voice sounds very different! I’ve also been recording some stuff for a couple of other labels who’ll be releasing their projects hopefully within the next year or two. How hard do you find it to combine music and Georgetown? Academics were always a priority. I am surprised to see how much interest is generated from it because for me, it has always been a sort of a side thing for me and my dad. Over winter break, we had a release party in Hawaii and a really famous artist came, and we were all just really excited about it. I was surprised because it has always been a small project for me and my dad. How do you envision yourself in the future? I am in the SFS, I just declared major STIA, international development. I am not a music major or anything like that. I don’t think music is going to be the focus of my career, my dad knows how difficult that is to do for a living. Otherwise I am interested in the environment, and Hawaii is a very unique environment, so eventually, I hope I will go back and help there in conservation. We will see. I will still work on music though – I will start recording another CD soon. The Hawaii Music Awards are open to online voting to the mass public. It would be great if Georgetown could support that. That would really help.