MTV: What was it like for you growing up?

Kina: Fun. I had a wonderful childhood. I grew up in Detroit, and I'm very close to my family. Normal, very normal childhood. Very silly little girl. A tomboy.

I grew up in a musical house I guess and it's funny cause people ask people ask about my influences. I never really realized that I grew up in a musical house, but my mother listened to everything: a lot of Spyro Gyra and Yellowjackets and Hiroshima, and of course Rufus and Chaka Khan. My uncle was more of a rock fan and [a fan of the] Parliaments. I had a lot going on in the house. Straight up R&B. Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder. Just a spectrum.

It definitely had an influence. I mean, the stuff that I couldn't stand -- everybody else's mama was listening to Barry White, and my mother was pumping Jean-Luc Ponty. Loud! I was like, "Oh my God." But now I love it. Now I appreciate it.

MTV: You're from Detroit, and the sound of the Motor City is making this big comeback, with artists like Eminem, Kid Rock, Robert Bradley, and TapRoot. What do you think this is attributed to?

Kina: I don't think this necessarily attributed to anything. I think that those people, as well as myself, have been around. I just think it's a good time. I just think that as everybody gets their chance, these people are getting their chance. It just happens to be a good time. It's great that you call it a sort of Detroit resurgence, because I hadn't thought of it that way. That feels good.

MTV: You're getting ready to head out on a tour. Can you tell us what a fan is going to get when they come to see Kina perform?

Kina: A fan is gonna get the bomb show. Live, performing live, is the best part of the whole thing to me, because it's energy, inertia. It's like an exchange between me and the audience. I feel like we're all on the same page. It's really the creative time. 'Cause you go to the studio, you write the song, you go to the studio, you sing the song. But on stage, you are creating right then and there in front of everybody and with everybody. So expect a live show.

MTV: Do you have a particular favorite out of all your songs?

Kina: "I Love You" is my favorite song, because I'm an energetic performer, and to be able to be energetic and sing about love, it's like a high. Normally you sing about love [more sensitively], but to sing "I love you" with that much energy is just exciting.