The first show I ever played was the International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia, Washington. It was girl night, and I was in Heavens To Betsy. I had just turned 18.

The eighties were my teen years, so the GoGos are sort of a touchstone.

I do love dance music. I love Daft Punk. I mean, I was a child in the '80s, so bands like the Eurythmics and just so many great '80s bands were dance bands, but they had the whole soul thing happening, too.

I do think we have a long way to go in terms of the culture around women still being career women, and asking a woman about her career and her work, just seeing them as fully validated human beings in the workplace.

I'm pretty straightforward as a performer, but I do have a bit of a diva in me.

I loved 'Rock Lobster.' I probably heard 'Rock Lobster' first at a party or dance. Then we would do the Rock Lobster - get down on the floor and do the whole dance. I thought that was really cool and exciting, that there was actually a band that had their own dance at that point.

I try to relish each of the roles I play in life. If I'm cooking dinner for the kids, I throw on my polka-dotted apron. I might don a smart blazer if I am doing a work presentation. If I play a rock show, there may indeed be glitter and fishnets involved. It's my way of saying, 'Thank you, I am glad to be here.'

It's great for my daughter to see Beyonce and Taylor Swift, women that are in charge of their own careers, writing songs from their own perspective and taking people to task. That's very different from when I was growing up - it was all like, 'Stand by your man.'

Aretha Franklin, she's just the most amazing singer ever. But I think there are so many singers that I just loved and sang along to on the radio. I guess I just enjoy trying out different styles along the way.

I've always been a writer who does simplistic, simple melodies. But I think it works.