Singer Paula Cole was an honor student, class president and prom queen in her small high school in Rockport, mAss. As a young adult, she realized she was feeling pressure to be Miss Perfect. At the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Cole took classes in jazz vocals and supported herself by singing in hotel lounges. But her push for perfection took its toll. "I tried so hard to please everyone that I would lose myself," she says. While performing, Cole wuld stare at the floor, turning her back on the audience. Her unhapiness led to an emotional breakdown. "I had so much bottled up inside," she says.
As she healed, she had a spiritual breakthrough and came to a new understanding of her life. She began her journey to great success, which culminated in a Grammy award this year and a platinum album, This Fire. She is now making big plans for her future.
"I have such an interesting life ahead of me," says the 30 year-old rock singer. "I want to be like Tina Turner, shaking my booty when I'm 50. And I'm busting at the seams to do the next record. I have so many songs in me."