Cleveland-raised artist Kate Voegele's teenage compositions, on the other hand, have catapulted her to stardom.

Her dad found a few songs she had put on a four-track, and - with her permission - began to distribute her work.

Considering the results, Voegele told us, "all is forgiven" as regards her dad's invasion of privacy.

The songwriter has become a post-modern sensation: notching more than 16 million MySpace spins, landing on Billboard's hot 100 chart, and winning top honors in the pop category during the 2005 USA Songwriting competition.

I talked to Voegele by phone today.

Here's a bit of what she said:

When did you start writing songs?
My dad started teaching me guitar when I was 15, and it really was kind of therapeutic for me. I really never expected anyone to hear it until my dad started listening to what I was playing. He’s a really great musician, and he listened to my songs, which when you’re fifteen, is like your parents reading your diary. I had recorded this stuff after he had bought me a guitar and a four-track recorder. When you’re 15, your biggest fear is being vulnerable, so I was like, no-one can know what’s going on. I’ll write the song but no-one can know about it. So I thought, you have got to be kidding me. I can’t believe you were listening to this.

Were these the "rough demos" that landed you on tour with John Mayer?
They were crappy demos but they got me a few gigs really out of nowhere. He gave it to just a bunch of folks at work. And he just works at a real estate company. What happened was we made these real demos they ended up into the hands of the dude who organizes the sidestage for a couple pavilions in Cleveland. Once I got those gigs, we had a local producer put together what was big on my EP. I’ve really kinda stumbled into all this, and eventually I just figured out how in love I am with playing music, with being on stage.

Now, you went to college while still performing, right?
Yes, at Miami University, in Ohio. I was always very concerned with, I don’t want to drop out of school. I hadn’t found a record deal after I graduated high school yet, and I didn’t just want to move to New York, and try my odds of making it there. So I thought, I’m going to go to college, and if the right thing comes along, it does. And it did in my sophomore year.

That was probably a good decision, to develop as a songwriter.
It was a huge help because everyday life and experience is what really drives inspiration the most. And there’s nothing like being in college and experiencing things the first time. It ended up being a good career move.

Having experienced so much success, so quickly, how do you manage to sort of stay in touch with your own voice, and allow that to develop?
That's the thing about being an artist of any kind, you always want your craft to evolve. You’re always, always evolving and changing the way you prefer to express things. It was tough to do when you’re constantly playing the same songs, and people are interested in hearing the same thing. But I’m always writing new stuff. Because, being on the road, I’m always seeing new things. Getting into different types of music and seeing what other people are doing, acts as a muse for my own stuff. I get inspired a lot by a lot of things that aren’t necessarily musical. Seeing so many different places, and having all these different experiences, it’s huge.

Tell us about being one of the first artists on the MySpace label.
Signing with MySpace has been one of the best, it’s the best decision I’ve made in my career. Who you have around you makes all the difference in the world. MySpace showed up when I was a sophomore. It seemed like they have an innovative approach and they were cool with the fact that I was still in school, and I was going to wait to release the record. When people get you its cool. And they have a great platform, but they don’t abuse it at all, they don’t shove anything down peoples throats.

They use their resources but they use them in the right way. And they listen to my opinion. Tom Anderson even called and said, so what songs do you want on your record? And I was like, hold on. Because that’s not usually the way it works. Especially when you’re a young female, it’s so hard to be recognized as a legitimate songwriter or a legitimate artist. They want you to be the super mysterious weird songwriter chick, who normally isn’t mainstream anyway, or they want to throw you into some slutty outfit, and have someone else sing your songs and you pretend you do.

I enjoy lesser known alt country folk, but also Britney Spears, stuff like that. There’s a place for all kinds of music, but I personally feel like I don’t fit into either of those roles.

Source: savannahnow.com