She grew up in the San Fernando Valley, her parents separating when she was young and the family becoming homeless at times.

Now, she is a rising star in the local music scene,  goes by the name, Twixxy, and is affiliated with Trejo’s Music – actor, and restaurant owner Danny Trejo’s new label to help promote up-and-coming artists.

In an interview with UT Community News, Twixxy opened up about her career and struggles, including addiction in early adulthood.

“The privileges I did have was that my mom always provided for me and my sisters. She was a strong woman and my dad was helping with child support and taking us in on the weekends,” Twixxy said.

She said she knew she wanted to be a singer when she was just 7-years-old and saw her sister’s work as part of a singing group: “My older sister always inspired me because she was hard-working, she had a big heart and she always loved me so much.” 

Her sister is a makeup artist and the two co-own a flower business, El Milagro floral shop.

As a child, Twixxy watched Celene Dion’s concerts over and over again. “My family would get annoyed but she inspired me so much. How good she sang, the music she sang, how she sang with instruments and the beauty of it all,” Twixxy said.

Twixxy started performing at events when she was about 7, performing at parties, a church and even, a funeral. When she was 8, she performed the song, “Como la Flor,” by Selena Quintanilla and her mom had a custom outfit made for her to look like Selena’s iconic purple jumpsuit, which really impressed the audience.

“To me, every show and every time I sing it gets me closer to my dreams,” said Twixxy.

Twixxy, who won the kidney quest foundation award for best singer as a 15-year-old, also won first place at her high school award show, leading her dad to proudly display the trophy in the house.

“Singing has been my only place and craft that makes me feel something because I never did well in school or did well in the outside world. The trophies and awards I have received just for singing have been so special, but the biggest [achievement] has been the reward of not giving up,” Twixxy added.

Twixxy started to sign up for singing competitions and found a manager. At one point, the manager put her on three-night shows and on one of those nights, actor Danny Trejo was in the audience and he heard her sing.

That’s where they started working together.

“Meeting Danny has opened a lot of doors for me. I had the privilege of getting to meet amazing people and sing on huge stages like never before” — including at the “Let’s Groove Together” drive-in concert in Norco, California, this year, Twixxy said.

She said that her musical style represents her everyday life, including her battles and victories, and she loves to use her voice to sing her pain away or to share what she’s feeling. For instance, her music helped her become sober and recommit herself to her career and doing good in the world.

She said she hopes to inspire others to live a happy and honest life: “I see myself singing till the end of my days.”

Community News produces stories about under-covered neighborhoods and small cities on the Eastside and South Los Angeles. Please email feedback, corrections and story tips to [email protected].