Singer and songwriter Corrinne May's songs always try to express hope, joy and "a deeper beauty and meaning to the everyday moments of life." Music seemed to play a part in May's life from the very beginning. Her parents say she hummed   songs from the time she was two or three. May began taking classical piano lessons when she was five and started writing songs when she was eight. She won her first songwriting contest at 15. May didn't always want to be a singer. In fact, at the National University of Singapore, May studied communications and English literature, planning to become a reporter. But upon graduation, her calling to do music was so strong that she decided to study in America at Berklee College of Music. In 1999, after graduating from Berklee, May went to Los Angeles. She still lives there with her music producer husband, Kavin, and daughter, Claire. In 2001 at the age of 28, May released   her first album, "Corrinne May" and won an award. Since then, she has produced four more albums. May's university education turned out to be excellent preparation for writing music. She may not have become a reporter, but she learned to find material for her songs about daily life. Her understanding of literature also added beauty to her lyrics. One personal turning point for May came in 2007 when she had a small heart operation. After that, she "began to look deeper into things I had once ignored." May's song "Beautiful Seed" grew out of this. The song encourages people to go after their dreams and compares every person to a seed with the ability to change the world and her experiences have changed her from a "beautiful seed" into the artist she is today. How did May's university education help her?
It helped her understand the meaning of life. It helped her communicate better with other people. It helped her find material and write beautiful lyrics. It helped her look deeper into things she had once ignored.