Written for FLARE’s 9-5 series.
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Did you know early on that you wanted to be a singer? Yes. Going to school was kind of something I did until I could figure out what I needed to do to get into the music industry, because I wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing.
Why country music? I grew up in the countryside, so I was born and raised around it. I grew up with a cornfield in the backyard and chickens—I don’t really know other music aside from country. I remember having this battery-powered player that would play music regardless of losing power in the country all the time. It’s funny because now I live in a city where I’m surrounded by Drake fans, but country music is really up there as well.
While you were growing up, you also transitioned from a male to a female. Can you tell me a bit about your journey? For a long time I didn’t speak about it, so a lot of people didn’t know about my past because I was the youngest person to ever undergo everything. At the age of 12, I started the therapy I needed. I always knew things were different with me and luckily I had all the right people around me. My mom is so supportive, I have a great sister and brother, and they put me in contact with the people I needed to see. I spoke with a therapist and doctors from when I was 12 until 14, and then I did the surgery and got everything changed.
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Ishani Nath 