We are publishing this story not because Kina Grannis has a wonderful voice. Or because she is good composer. Not even because she is beautiful and sexy and has a choir to match. Heck, we are not even doing it because of the song she has dedicated to Digg users, which is actually a really good one. We are publishing this story because a) we love her attitude, b) we want her to win the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest, c) her smile is an early Xmas present to all of us, dorks of the Intarwebs and d) all of the above. Judge by yourself looking at her Gotta Digg video after the jump:
(UPDATE: We have interviewed Kina after the jump)
Jesus Díaz: Hey Kina! Great work on that song. I love it, and I love the rest of your stuff.
Kina Grannis: Hey Jesus! I am so so flattered that the people at Gizmodo want to help me out!
JD: How long have you been composing (I assume you do your own songs) and singing?
KG: I first got serious about songwriting and composing when i was 16 and started teaching myself guitar. So that was about 6 years ago, now. As a kid though my favorite thing to do was just sit around and make up songs and mess around on the piano. However, my first songs when I was 5, admittedly, were not the most impressive songs ever. ("oh the hummingbird," "teeny bear goes sailing in the lake" to name a few). As far as singing goes, though I never did choir (I was a violinist), it's just something I've done my whole life because it feels so good.
JD: Who is your inspiration?
KG: I find inspiration in many things and many people, I don't think I could ever pick just one. My parents and both my two sisters are all extremely talented and creative in their own rights, and I think just having grown up with so much creative energy and determination around me has really influenced me. In addition to my family, I don't think there is one friend I have that I couldn't draw some inspiration from. People in general amaze me.
JD: And your favorite artists?
KG: I grew up with a lot of James Taylor, and as a result my favorite artists tend to emphasize beautiful vocals, amazing melodies and *usually* an acoustic feel. Some big ones for me are Iron and Wine, Sarah McLachlan, Jason Mraz, Fiona Apple, Sigur Ros, Feist, Jump Little Children, K's Choice, The Weepies, Regina Spektot, Sufjan Stevens... I should stop before I fill up the page. I tend to have an appreciation for most kinds of music, but the one's I get stuck on are the ones that kill me with their voices.
JD: Sweet. Best luck with the contest. All of us at Giz are behind you. And merry Xmas!
KG: Merry Xmas to all of you at Gizmodo and also to all your readers. Thanks for everything!