"I'm shy but totally open," she says. None of us is one-dimensional. I love that about my friends. We can talk about religion but also politics, hair and football."

Ana Laura's self-titled album is just as diverse as her conversations with friends. It mixes her love of classical music with traditional pop and some rock. "I love this album because it speaks into a lot of the aspects that I felt I needed to speak about," she says.

Growing Up
Ana Laura lives in Brownsville, Texas, with her parents (both born in Mexico) and a younger sister. During her growing-up years, Ana Laura was hyperactive, so her parents worked hard to keep her occupied.

"I took jazz, ballet, pointe, and I took Japanese [language classes] for a couple years. I got to do so many different things that were really fun," she says.

On top of dance and language, Ana Laura took classes in piano and voice. She's always loved music, so learning wasn't very difficult. "I was also mathematical, and music is mathematical, so it was good and fun," she says. "I have pictures of when I was 3, singing in front of my church. I would fight over the microphone with my mom because she wouldn't let me hold it."

In 2004, Ana Laura graduated from a Christian high school. She attended college for a semester but then left to start recording music. "I was bummed," she says. "I love singing, but this was not my dream. I wanted to go to college, join the Air Force -- I wanted to do so many things -- so singing is somewhat of a sacrifice." But Ana Laura is willing to set aside her other goals because she believes this is where God wants her for now.

Getting Up
In the community Ana Laura grew up in, she felt pressured to be perfect -- fit the perfect size, get perfect grades, be a perfect young lady. When she was 13, Ana Laura developed an eating disorder. "It's a hard thing to go through, especially when you're 13," she says. "You don't know what's going on because people say you look pretty, but you look in the mirror and you feel a certain way that you think no one gets it." To overcome this battle, Ana Laura takes one day at a time. She has been supported by those who love her and reminds herself that she is beautiful no matter what the media portray as an "acceptable" beauty standard.

"As girls, our weight fluctuates. That's just a fact of life, but our weight doesn't make us who we are. We're beautiful, no matter what. That's it. Thankfully we have Jesus to help pull us out of anything we fall into."

Because of her past, one of the songs that speaks to Ana Laura more than the others on her album is "Sometimes I Fall." Its message is, "Yes, I make mistakes, but no matter what, Christ's grace is there to save me and cover me."

Ana Laura has written some songs that are blatantly about bulimia and anorexia, but the subject is still hard for her to talk about. "As girls, we're really harsh on each other sometimes," she says. "I think if we band together and say what's beautiful about each other, we'd all get along better and feel better about ourselves."

In response to having fallen, the song "No More" encourages people to start living life. "This [life] isn't about me," Ana Laura says. "Every path I take is all about Christ. Sometimes we put up a façade of who we want to be, but we've got to stop lying to ourselves and everyone else. Instead, we should say, 'I am a daughter of Christ, and I'm going to live life because it's too short to waste.' "

Cinco de Mayo
May 5 is a big holiday for Ana Laura and her family. Each year they go to Mexico and attend a Cinco de Mayo parade. Then they usually hang out at a plaza until midnight when they'll have the grito de independencia, meaning they all scream to celebrate their freedom.

Ana Laura's Favorite Thing to Do With Friends: Go out to eat and watch the San Antonio Spurs cream their opponent.

Brio Web Exclusive!
Listen to five full audio tracks from Ana Laura's debut album for free! Go to www.analauramusic.com/brio.