Canjelae Taylor has been wowing local audiences for a few years now. She possesses a natural charm that shines through on stage and virtually forces you to love her. Couple that with her powerful voice and prodigious talent for songwriting, and you have the makings of a bona fide future A-lister.She is in Bermuda on break from the internationally renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.I was fortunate enough to sit with her for a couple hours before her return, later this month. We talked about her progress as an artist, her most recent project, her adventures inside the US music industry, and I even got the chance to hear samples of several songs from her upcoming Ep. Here's a small portion of what we talked about:Describe the last two years of your life. Has pursuing your dream been easy? Are you happy with your progress?The past two years have been an adventure. From the day I started Berklee College of Music to now I have learnt so much. Pursuing my dream has not been easy; anything worth having and keeping is never easy. I'm really proud of my progress and how much I've grown in my craft. I surprise myself with how hard I work sometimes but it's what I was made to do, so it feels great.Who have you worked with? Who have you met? Any stories about famous folks you'd like to share?Well, I've been recording in Akon's studio in Atlanta. I've spent a lot of time between Atlanta and Los Angeles in fact. One good story is when I was at an after-party for the BET Awards and I'm just sitting there with my brother and some friends and a beat comes on. I'm listening and the beat starts to sound very familiar. Then someone says to me that it sounds familiar because I wrote it; but Chris Brown was singing it! That was a great experience for me; to be there, and hearing someone else sing something that I wrote, it was an awesome experience for me.Another fun story is the time I met The Game at a Fourth of July party in LA. We were both in line for the bathroom, so to be polite I said hello. He was taken by my accent and asked who I was and where I was from. I said “I'm from Bermuda”. He said: “Oh, you mean like the Bermuda triangle; people get lost in that right?” I laughed and said “Yeah it's a miracle I made it to America alive”. It's funny how people have such a perception of Bermuda. I've been asked if I live in a hut before. The funniest part is when I prank them and say yes.Who are your musical influences? How would you describe your style?My musical influences range from Whitney Houston to Cold Play. I really love music as a whole. I love innovative music. It sparks my creative process and inspires me. I love a lot of acoustic and electric guitar. Here of late I find that I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks. I love the 'Avatar' soundtrack, also the soundtrack from 'Drive' starring Ryan Gosling. I would say my style is very eclectic, maybe a hybrid of R&B, pop and alternative. I add a little island flavor in my music here and there. That's usually the ingredient that gets people moving in my more up-tempo songs.Do you have any advice for young Bermudian performers who want to make a career of it?I would say: Continue to work on your craft, invest time in yourself, perfecting your gifts; educate yourself on your industry and hold yourself accountable for your future; believe in yourself when no-one else will, but cherish those who do believe in you. It's much easier to believe in yourself when you've put in the work because you have the confidence that you did your best; and finally, put God first and allow him to guide your path.You are clearly very driven. Why?I'm driven because I have this gut feeling inside of me that won't let me rest until I know I've done all that I can possibly do to achieve my dream. I once had someone tell me that they heard my song 'I'm Free' every day during their time in jail, and it encouraged them to re-evaluate their life. There is the possibility that the next song I write could change someone's life, so with that in mind, I have no choice but to continue.Miss Taylor will perform her new Ep at Chewstick's Neo Griot Lounge on September 13 at 7pm.