Priscilla Ahn [ tickets ], a mellifluous singer/songwriter and regular at Hollywood's popular Hotel Cafe, considered throwing in the towel after a solid year of dead-end open mikes.

"I was doing a lot of open mikes here [in L.A.] and then I stopped doing them because I had to get a job. The job really depleted me and it wasn't something I loved to do so I seriously considered going to school for teaching or something. A friend of mine was a Godsend. He said I had to persevere, and I'll never forget that."

Ahn's big break came with an invitation to sit in on a recording session with fellow Pennsylvania native Amos Lee. Her excitement over the process led to days and nights interning on the creation of Lee's sophomore album for Blue Note Records, "Supply and Demand," on which Ahn also sang backup. Her own self-titled EP soon followed.

Ahn recently put the finishing touches on her Blue Note Records debut, "A Good Day," which will hit shelves June 10.

"It's sort of like the follow-up to the EP but maybe a little more widescreen. Basically, we had the same people who played on the EP play on this and then some, which I think added to it. I'm really happy with the way it came out. I think it's quirky and fun and says a lot of different things."

Singer/songwriter Priscilla Ahn [ tickets ] has come a long way from her cozy childhood in small-town Pennsylvania. The contemplative yet giggly songstress has relocated to Los Angeles, learned the recording ropes thanks to Amos Lee and has just finished her Blue Note Records debut, "A Good Day."

LiveDaily recently caught up with Ahn to talk about her music, her rural roots and the one job she absolutely hated.

LiveDaily: So take us back to the beginning. You grew up in Pennsylvania, correct?

Priscilla Ahn: Yes.

Where in Pennsylvania?

I grew up in this city called Redding for the beginning of my life and then we moved out to the country to this place called Bernville, which is really, like, the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania.

And what is it like growing up out there for a budding artist?

I want to say it's inhibiting, but it's also creative. It was creative because I lived in the country, which I actually really liked. My house was surrounded by woods and a stream, and it was sort of my place to go to just hang out and think by myself. It's inhibiting just because it's so far from anywhere good to play music. My closest place to go was Philadelphia which was an hour and a half drive, so inhibiting in that way.

Hence your move out here to L.A.

Yes.

What were the events or people in your life that helped foster your love for music?

I guess my mom always sang and encouraged me to sing and my dad is the one who encouraged me to play the guitar. And then a friend of mine in high school played the guitar too and that's what really sort of ... he inspired me to pick up the guitar. My dad really encouraged me to go out and play music, which I was really nervous to d,o and so I sort of reluctantly but anxiously did it and grew to really love it, and I started to learn how to play the guitar better. I would teach myself chords and I'd write silly little songs to help myself learn the chords better, and then I was like, "Hey I sort of like writing songs."

You sound like you have terrific parents.

Yeah! They were really encouraging in that aspect of my life.

That's great. Most parents would freak that their 19-year-old daughter is going to pursue a career like that.

Yeah, it's scary but I guess somewhere they knew that it was right for me.

How old were you when you started writing songs?

I guess I was 14 or 15 so I wrote some teenage angst songs and stuff!

That's what I was going to ask, what where they about!

Totally like about that, or I listened to a lot of Ani DiFranco when I turned 16 or 17…

She really brings that angst out.

Yeah, totally! That's when I was, like, songs should say something or mean something or come from a place that's passionate, so she sort of inspired me in that way.

Who have been your other musical influences?

I would have to say Neil Young is one, which is why I got this harmonica thing, and I've listened to a lot of Radiohead also growing up and in high school. Now I feel like I'm influenced by a lot of different things, not just music.

Such as?

Art and books that I read or just time to myself. People I feel like influence my ideas and it comes out through my songs I think.

You said you'd almost given up on your music career because it was really frustrating doing open mikes...

I was doing a lot of open mikes here and then I sort of stopped doing them because I had to get a job. The job just left me really depleted and it wasn't something I loved to do. So I seriously considered going to school for teaching or something, and a friend of mine was a Godsend. He was like, "You have to persevere," and I'll never forget that because it really made me stay on and it gave me some sort of hope and confidence in what I'm doing. Then a month or so later I was able to quit my job and start singing with Josh Radin, which was awesome.

So tell me the story about how you and Josh Radin met.

I met him at the Hotel Cafe (in Los Angeles). I was opening up for him there. I had heard his music before through a friend and I'd always really loved his voice, and I'd sing to it in the car because I like to sing harmonies to stuff in the car. After the show, he came and sat down next to me and was like, "Hey, we should sing together," and I was like, "Sure!" We just started hanging out and he started teaching me his songs, and then it became a thing where I went on the road with him and then I was the singer in his group.

So did you also get to play your songs?

Not really at his shows but he was really awesome at like, if we would do a radio thing he would be like, "You have to hear Priscilla's stuff and let her play a song," and that was really sweet of him. That was cool.

You're currently signed to the legendary Blue Note Records. How did that happen? How did you get hooked up with Blue Note?

It has a lot to do with my manager, Kevin. He's shaking his head no...[laughs.] Okay, it didn't. It was all me! ... When I was back in Pennsylvania, I was driving to Philadelphia a lot and hanging out with this band there and after a show we did together, they said, "Let's go to this studio where this guy's recording," and it was Amos Lee recording his EP for Blue Note. And I knew of Amos Lee just because he was popular in the Philadelphia scene. I was like, "oh man, this is so cool," and the producer on the record invited me to stay and intern on it, and basically just hang out and watch everything, which was really cool. So in doing that, I got to follow them around. We went to New York, and that's where I met Amos' A&R guy, Eli Wolf, who's now my A&R guy. I guess that was my first introduction into it all and then a couple years later, once I made my own EP out here in L.A., Eli got ahold of it and came out here to see me play.

So you were in the right place at the right time...

Yeah, you never know who you're going to meet.

So you mentioned that you do have an EP out right now...

Yeah, I do. They can pick up a copy on Filter, and there's a link off of my MySpace page and also on iTunes.

Okay, and you just finished recording your full-length debut. Can you give us a clue as to what the style is on that?

Well, I think it's sort of like the follow-up to the EP, but maybe a little more widescreen. Basically, we had the same people who played on the EP play on this and then some, which I think just added to it. I'm really proud of it. I'm really happy with the way it came out. I think it's quirky and fun and says a lot of different things.