What was it like growing up in New Zealand?

Janine and The Mixtape: I grew up on the West Coast (of the country) so it was like farm. We had the best beaches with the best surf beaches. It was quite good because I had a lot of time to run around, be on my own and create. I started writing songs as early as 5 years old or whatever.

As a child who did you listen to?

Janine and The Mixtape: Early on, my first obsession was with Mariah Carey and then I love Aaliyah, Ashanti, Destiny’s Child, Nelly, Ja Rule, Biggie. I also love Kelis and NWA – those are some of my early artists that I would crank all the time.

How would you describe your sound?

Janine and The Mixtape: My personal sound is a combination of hip-hop beats because they make me want to move. I’m vocally R&B soulful and then I combine indie, ethereal sound layers.

Besides yourself, who are you listening to? 

Janine and The Mixtape: At the moment I’ve been listening to a lot of Jhene Aiko. She’s amazing. I’m always still cranking Aaliyah and Biggie and also a lot of Drake, Frank Ocean. Another one is SZA. I love her. I met her last summer in New York and she’s just such a great person. Her music is incredible as well.

If you could choose any artist to mentor you, who would it be? 

Janine and The Mixtape: The obvious artist is Kanye West. But then I’d like to have someone like Missy Elliott or Pharrell. One of my goals would be to work with [Missy]. She’s just such a legend–so talented, so cool. I would learn a lot.