Think back for a second to when you were a sixteen year old teenager.  If you were like many teenagers you were probably caught up in the innocent trappings of youth: puppy love, acquiring the freshest gear, and figuring out a way to get money out of your parents to support your fun habits. 

Sixteen year old singer-songwriter, Karina Pasian, has a few other things on her mind.  For starters, she’s one of Def Jam’s most promising new artists; two, she’s about to release her as-yet-untitled debut album this June; and based on her lyrics she’s more concerned with poverty and world hunger than puppy love. 

Before the release of her debut album, Karina is already being compared to Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston, while her godfather Quincy Jones is even singing her praises.  It’s a lot to live up to but with honest lyrics, a voice overflowing with passion, and the help of some of the industry’s most acclaimed writers and producers on-board (The Dream, Tricky Stewart, etc.), Karina has all she needs to live up to the hype. 
 
Sixshot was introduced to the young rising talent as she talked how Jay-Z finally won her over, why women need to take responsibility for being seen as sex objects, whether or not she’s satisfied with the amou nt of control she has over her career, receiving words of advice from Quincy Jones, making history as the first Dominican to perform at the White House, and more.

At the age of 14 you started a huge bidding war between Jay-Z, Diddy, and Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine.  So besides the reported seven figure deal why did you choose in the end to go with Def Jam?

Well it’s a funny story.  When I came to sing for the A&R—after I sang for him he said, "Hold on a second," and he called L.A. Reid.  He [L.A. Reid] was on his way to France and he came back right away.  I sang for him and they wanted to sign me on the spot, but since I had other labels wanting to sign me I couldn’t sign on the spot.  After I came back Jay-Z closed the deal.  He took me to a showcase and he wouldn’t let me leave the building.  He was like, “You’re not leaving until you sign!”  [Laughs] So we signed with him. 

You sing the love songs so convincingly, especially “Slow Motion.”  I know you’re young and many young people go through puppy love, so is that something you’ve experienced?

Yeah it is. [Laughs]

How did that influence your music and what was the experience like?

Well everybody goes through that puppy love stage, and everybody has their crushes and stuff.  I’ve had a number of crushes and there was always a guy that I liked and stuff.  So I always put that into the song that I’m signing.  “Slow Motion,” is a song that I really love and believe in.

On the song “Baby, Baby,” you address men who see women solely as sex objects.  In this industry there are many girls who are seen as such and even use that to their advantage; or are taken advantage of because of it.  What are your thoughts on that whole dynamic in the industry?

I disagree with how men see women as sex objects.  I feel that women are responsible for it too, because if they go around letting men do all this stuff to them then men will never respect them.  So I feel that women should respect themselves before men can actually respect them, and that’s something that I’m trying to bring.

In the industry do you feel like you need to be careful around the older men you encounter, because there are countless stories of young girls being taken advantage of?

Yeah, of course I have to be mindful of all that.  But since I have my father and my brother here always nobody would ever try anything.  [Laughs]

On the song “Sixteen at War,” you sing the following line “Ain’t no daddy’s from where I’m from/It’s just mad mothers…”  Is that line autobiographical?

No, it’s not autobiographical.  My dad and my mom—I have both of my parents.  My dad has been a very, very strong figure in my career and life.  So it’s just talking about what I see.  There aren’t really that many dads where I come from and in a lot of places in the U.S.  It just talks about the struggles that teenagers go through.

For young stars growing up in the spotlight there’s usually an issue of control concerning their professional and personal lives, especially when parents are so closely involved in one’s career.  How much control would you say you have now and are you satisfied with it?

I wouldn’t say that I have that much control because my parents of course are the ones in charge of everything, but I do have a say in everything.  I am satisfied with it because it’s not to the point where they’re controlling me, where I don’t like it or disagree with it.  So I’m satisfied with the amount of control that I have.

What’s the most significant piece of advice your godfather Quincy Jones has given you?

He has told me to stay grounded; always stay family based; and my family has always been around me.  He also told me to never forget where I come from; to always stick to my goals and dreams; and make the right decision.

Some people with such high connections often want to separate themselves so that they are taken on their own merits.  Do you feel like you need to do that at all concerning your relationship with Quincy?

Not exactly.  That’s not exactly how it came about.  I’ve been doing this my whole life and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.  My family has been working very hard for this dream to come true.  It just so happens that Quincy Jones also helped but that’s not the reason why.

What I love about your material is that you don’t just talk about love and relationships, but you also discuss deep issues like poverty on the song “Cry.” It seems like you’re at a stage where you’re really trying to make sense of the way the world operates.  Is that accurate?

Yeah that is accurate to say.  On the song “Cry” it talks about how it doesn’t make sense that there are so many riches and so many people that can do stuff to help people, but they don’t.  It’s just really a song that shows how confused I am about the way the world works.

If there’s something you could change about the world what would it be?

I would change poverty and world hunger.

So we might see you working on that in the future?

Yes, definitely.

You made history last year as the first Dominican to sing at the White House.  From a young woman’s point of view I wonder what your thoughts on the current presidential campaign are.

I feel like Obama is definitely the one.  If I could vote I would vote for him.  He’s talking about things that I’m talking about like change.  He’s not just saying it, he’s gonna try to make it.  So I respect him for that.

How does your Dominican heritage impact you?

It impacts me as having two responsibilities.  I have to deal with the American world and the Hispanic world.  My culture is very important to me.  Even though I’m from New York I still love to go to my Caribbean beach.  I like to go out there and help them.  There’s a lot of poverty there too so I want to be a role model for them in my country.

How do you balance your education with a career that’s on the fast track?

Well up to now I’ve been getting tutors when I travel.  But now everything is starting to move so I’m gonna see how it woks out.

Where do you see yourself five to ten years from now?

I see myself touring worldwide and being a role model for everybody—being somebody that’s looked up to in this industry.

For more information please visit:
http://www.myspace.com/karinapasianmusic