She may not be a household name yet, but Rozzi Crane is on her way there. Crane—a singer-songwriter whose voice has been likened to Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse and Adele—was the first act to be signed on Adam Levine’s label, 222 Records. With performances on the Today show and the Voice under her belt, the 24-year-old with the “intangible It factor” has been declared a “soon to be major pop star” by Marie Claire. Her EP Space is a teaser for what’s to come in her forthcoming full-length, which Crane can’t wait to release. “Having my EP out has been has been awesome; to have music to leave people with after a show means so much. But the truth is there are so many different sounds and feelings that we saved for the full-length and I'm antsy to share it with everyone. I think we might surprise some people.”

Hometown: San Francisco

Current residence: Los Angeles

The story of how you got on Adam Levine’s label is really cool. Can you tell us how exactly all that went down?

I was a student at the University of Southern California (USC)'s popular music school. Jacques Brautbar of Phantom Planet was sitting in on my songwriting class and asked to write with me. We started writing with his ex-bandmate Sam Farrar who is managed by Maroon 5's manager. He heard one of our demos, sent a YouTube video of mine to Adam and Adam straight up wrote me an email offering me a record deal.

As a result, you’ve also opened for Maroon 5 on tour. What is that like?

Opening for Maroon 5 never gets old. I've been on three tours with them now and it's still so cool to me. I can't really handle how incredible their fans have been to me. They really have the most wonderful and loyal fans and I feel very lucky that those were the crowds I got to perform my first tours in front of.

What did you learn USC's inaugural pop music program. What did you learn there that you use to this day?

I can't say enough good things about the USC pop program. My life changed there and it had everything to do with the mentality of the community—both the teachers and the students. One of the more specific and technical lessons I learned there was the power of learning from singers before you. I studied the greatest singers of contemporary music in class and I discovered if I could learn to do exactly what they did, then I would be able to do it myself, in my own way. I started learning live Beyonce and Aretha Franklin albums note for note until I could sing all their songs exactly like they did. I still do that today with my favorite vocalists. Of course, when I sing my own songs I make my own choices and sing things however I feel like singing them. But nothing has made me grow more as a singer than that exercise.

Did you grow up in a musical family? How did you discover music?

My parents are very big music fans so music was always on when I was a kid and I fell in love with listening to it before I started making it. My dad would drive my brother and me to school and we would listen to Peter Gabriel, the Beatles, Neil Young, the Who, and Bob Dylan. My mom loved Bjork, Bonnie Raitt, Annie Lennox, and Eva Cassidy; she was the one who introduced me to the best singers. I used to put on my mom's clothes and we would dance around the house to Shania Twain or the Supremes. Listening to music with my parents are some of my favorite childhood memories. My mom is the artist and the one who encouraged my brother and me to be artists as well. She took me to music classes starting at age 3. At that age I was super into the harp and the flute for some reason—that was a short lived obsession—but I don't remember a time when I wasn't in love with music.

Who are your biggest musical influences and inspirations?

Fleetwood Mac is my favorite band. Stevie Nicks is very much an idol of mine. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one of my all time favorite albums — that record honestly changed me as a musician. Amy Winehouse is another inspiration for me. I never heard her sing one bad note — every single choice she made was tasteful. I'm pretty heartbroken that I never got to see her sing live.

Your EP Space is out, and you’re currently working on your full-length album. How do you write your songs?

These days I tend to write an entire melody and lyric before writing any harmony whatsoever. I used to write with the piano or the guitar but my minimal playing skills couldn't keep up with my voice and my head so I started ignoring the chords all together and letting my friends write harmony to the acapella melodies I sent them. It's easier for me to write lyrics on my own as well. I tend to write about very personal things and someone watching me think makes it harder for me to be honest.

Who else would you want to collaborate with?

I want to collaborate with so many people. Obviously Beyonce is the biggest dream of all. But I'm honestly still in shock over collaborating with Kendrick Lamar. He does a verse on the album version of my song “Crazy Ass Bitch” and it's messed up how good it is. I am such a huge fan of his so that one is already a dream come true.