Musician Vanessa Carlton is an overnight wonder who rose to great fame with her debut single ‘A Thousand Miles’ before bringing out her smash hit debut album ‘Be Not Nobody’ which went on to become Platinum certified. The daughter of a music teacher, she was naturally inclined towards music and began singing as a toddler of two. She was exposed to classical music from a young age—her mother ensured the little girl became aware of the music of great composers like Mozart, Erik Satie, and Claude Debussy. She also learned the piano and took ballet lessons. Upon graduation from college, she realized that music was her calling and began performing in bars and clubs while at the university. The president of A&M Records heard her demo tape and invited her to record a single. Her debut single ‘A Thousand Miles’ became an instant hit and garnered several Grammy Award nominations. When her debut album ‘Be Not Nobody’ was released a few months later, it peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. However, she could not repeat the success of her initial works with her later albums ‘Harmonium’ and ‘Rabbits on the Run’. Along with releasing albums, the talented singer is also considering a career in film scoring.