Jo began piano and singing lessons early, but says she missed out on a conventional carefree childhood.

CNN: December 17, 2012 -- Updated 1437 GMT (2237 HKT)

And my grandmother was a church lady, and they believed in, you know, they gave me singing lessons at five.

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Instead of studying biotechnology together, they find time to take singing lessons.

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"I wasn't 11 and being forced into tap lessons and singing lessons, and being sent to auditions by my overly tanned mother in California, " she says.

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She began singing lessons at the age of 22, working her way up to conservatory level, then, a decade later, decided to dedicate her life to her passion for opera singing.

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It was during her time there that she began singing in church choirs and taking piano lessons, even trying out the alto saxophone.

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