Interview: Ellee Ven

(andPOP) - A typical day for Los Angeles-based singer Ellee Ven could consist of waking up, taking care of business on the internet such as mail, taking part in a song writing session, dropping off masters tapes, reviewing recently shot videos, and discussing future collaborations. This is quite different to what she did just four years ago, when she was a teacher.

"It's amazing when you finally have the courage to change your path and do what you really want to do, the universe does conspire to make it happen," Ven tells andPOP.

Ven, whose real name is Jessica Kunin, left the teaching field because she realized it was the wrong decision. She moved to Los Angeles and spent her first week at an in-home studio, and after five days, she left with four songs. She put her first collection together about a year and a half ago.

Her father, who she describes as being a hard worker until his last day, didn't understand why she wanted to get up at 10:00 at night and be the entertainment, when she had other skills and education.

This is why she created the "Ellee Ven" persona. This gave her the freedom to create a new personality and grow as an artist.

Ven is not just a singer. She also runs her own record label called Hot Sauce Records, where amongst other things, she puts on local charity events.

"I'm so happy if I get six hours of sleep," she tells andPOP. "It's weird because when I used to be a teacher, if I didn't get 10 hours of sleep, I was hostile and upset about it. But I love what I'm doing so much, it doesn't really feel like work. There's definitely not a monetary value on it. I'm just really motivated by making new songs."

Being an independent artist as opposed to being under a major label contract has its perks, she says. By being her own boss, Ven has a lot more freedom when it comes to the sound of her music, which she describes as "groove tonics," a mix of drum, base, rock, rap, and jazz.

"I don?t know that my music would have been able to evolve the way that it has if I was under a label."

She would welcome a promotion and distribution deal to help get the word out, but only if it didn't compromise her artistic merit.

Ven has several different backgrounds: Spanish, Greek, German, Russian, and Italian, all of which have shown her that she is not limited.

"Most people are a combination of things," she says. "The beauty of any experience is that ultimately, it's the hybrid of a combination of influences that create something great."

Ven sends out packages to producers every few weeks, seeking to have her song included on soundtracks for movies and television shows. One of her songs, "When," will be included on the upcoming Venus and Serena Williams film soundtrack, along with Brian McKnight, Jagged Edge, and Jurassic 5.

Her upcoming album "Mind Control" features collaborations with Prodeje and DJ Swamp. She is currently playing some local shows in Los Angeles and hopes to perform in Europe this summer.