Brenda Xu (pronounced “shoo”) was born in Northern China in the city of Harbin. At the age of 5 she moved with her grandmother to California. As a teenager, she would record herself singing along to Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan, and taught herself how to play guitar. After graduating from UC San Diego with a degree in Political Science, she wandered from job to job, ignoring her creative inclinations. It was not until she started writing her own songs that she found direction and purpose and finally pursued her true calling.