You may not have heard of her yet, but a 20-year-old singer named, Kerli, is on the brink of taking the music industry by storm with her rare merging of pop, rock and alternative. Her look and sound could be described as a slightly darker, authentic European version of Avril Lavigne. A native of the small European country of Estonia bordering with Russia, Kerli had her work cut out for her to get heard in the music industry. Her childhood in Estonia was not a good one as Kerli tells Teen Scene, "It was a very depressing environment to grow up in. I had some amazing and loving people around me but most of it was pretty painful. I always liked to dream big, but somehow people around me were stuck in their old school communist mentality and tried to break my spirit and destroy who I was. It would have been easier to live in my town and be a mouse that was never different." Kerli is no mouse though and certainly not one to bow down to the beliefs of others, so she found an outlet where should could express herself and it came in the form of the arts; singing, dancing and acting. She found singing to be her greatest passion and a refuge from all the negative influences in her life. "I guess music is my way of escaping reality. I'd much rather create songs and live in my little bubble."

Kerli's major break came in 2002 when she entered the talent competition, Fizz Superstar, which is Estonia's American Idol. While the age requirement for the show was 15 years old, 14 year old Kerli wasn't going to let that stop her from achieving her dreams. She lied about her age and was able to compete on the show and later became the winner. Her career in Europe skyrocketed thereafter and in 2005 she caught the attention of Island Records' L.A. Reid who invited her to the label offices to perform for him and signed her on the spot. "I just kept going and things started happening little by little. People don't know how powerful their mind is. You set the goal and you keep working and moving forward even if the light isn't showing at the end of the tunnel. You just gotta never give up," Kerli says.

Two years later, Kerli is ready to make her U.S. debut with her album, "Love Is Dead." From pop to punk, rock, techno, goth, alternative; the inspirations you'll hear on the album are endless. Kerli has many inspirations, many of which might surprise you considering her Estonia roots, "I love Kurt Cobain's voice. I love all the old school stuff like Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin. The Doors were amazing too. I pretty much love everyone who has got something to say."

Looking to the future, Kerli hopes her story and her music can help others overcome the obstacles in their lives, she says, "I wanna show that I have gotten over everything negative and I wanna bring love and hope to people and show that there is a way out no matter what. We can overcome everything. All we need to do is dream big and work hard and be appreciative to what we have." Kerli also talks of hope for a brighter tomorrow with a more peaceful and loving world in which we don't fight mindless wars and spew hatred for one another. "There is so much anger and pain going on; I can't even watch the news. It makes me sick. It can be pretty humiliating to be a human being sometimes. I look at all this shit and I'm like...are these really my brothers and sisters killing each other and not having respect for anyone, not to mention our mother, our planet Earth. It's pretty disgusting. But there's always hope. The light will win."

One thing is for sure, Kerli is not only a refreshing musician, but she has an inspirational view on life and that is truly refreshing in times like these.

- Chad Kennedy, Editor-in-Chief
- Additional reporting by Vina Kent, Contributor