Samantha Marq is an up and coming recording artist, originally from Virginia Beach, who has teamed with producer K.O. The Legend (Britney Spears, Leighton Meester) to create an insane mix of hip hop, pop, and dance for her debut “The Evolution of Love in Dysfunction.”

Her first single “Super Girl” will be released this January as Samantha will then release each single on her official website over a period of time as separate “diary entries” that you will be highly anticipating! Since you’ll be hearing a lot from and about Samantha in the new year, get to know Samantha right now…

When did you start songwriting?
The first time I wrote a full song, I was in sixth grade. I had a little songwriting book, which I actually still have!

Do you like to write by yourself or co-write?
I personally really like co-writing because you have someone else there who has a completely different creative vision for a song, so it makes for a better product.

What do you do about writer’s block?
With this album, we did not come across writer’s block often. We did take breaks or switch to other songs if we needed a breather but for the most part, when we started writing a song we would finish it in one sitting. So we were pretty lucky.

Did you keep a journal growing up? Do you go back and read them?
I did! I am a very visual person so I wrote everything down and I’m a pack rat too so I have everything from when I was back home in Virgina. There’s one journal I have from when I was 15 and that one is very interesting to go back and read, for sure. (laughs)

How many instruments do you play?
My dad is a drummer so I kind of dabble with drums but it is so hard! He has also been teaching me how to play guitar for the past 6 months and I play piano as well. My dad’s teaching style…he’ll teach me the notes and then he’ll leave me to jam by myself and create things on my own.

Later down the line, would you ever release a live record?
Yes, I would love to! Live and acoustic records are my favorite. If I have to choose over an artist’s acoustic or live album and their regular album recorded in a studio, I’ll probably choose the live. I feel the funk more, it’s so raw when it’s live.

How did you come with “The Evolution of Love in Dysfunction?”
It took awhile…we sat on the title for a really long time. I really wanted it to cover exactly what I am trying to say in the album. The album is like a story, every song covers a different period in a relationship. We were playing around with different words because we knew we wanted it to be about an evolution and love and heartbreak. So it came together well in the end.

Did you intend for “Super Girl” to become a theme for women or did it come out that way?
It came out that way…the beat itself is very different and it was hard to write to initially but we finished writing the song in one sitting. We knew that the song had to have an intense message to go along with the beat. We wrote the first few lines, and then I really realized the direction and knew that I wanted a song that could empower myself and other people.

How did you decide to pick “Super Girl” as the first single?
There were a few songs we wanted to be singles, all for different reasons but at the end of the day, “Super Girl” got the best response for everyone that we played the singles for. It was phenomenal. It really grabs people’s attentions and it is super catchy so it was undeniable for it being the first single.

How many songs have you recorded and which has been the most difficult and the easiest to record?
We wrote about 16 songs and recorded 12 or 13. The hardest song to record was “Insanity.” For some reason, I was so obsessed with the music that I couldn’t get the lines right. It took us 2 days to record that song but it ended up becoming one of my favorite songs on the album. The easiest to record…”I’m Fresh” was written for another artist, so I sang it to gave a reference for another artist but then we realized that we wanted to use it for my album, so it was pretty nice.

What has been your favorite part about putting together this album?
The whole process has been so awesome because I have had complete creative freedom. I was able to co-write all of the songs and I love recording…one day we were in the studio for 12 hours. I could live in the studio though, it’s what I’ve always wanted so it was amazing.

What is your favorite and least favorite part about Hollywood?
My least favorite…the Hollywood scene gets old pretty fast. I can read people very well, so when someone is being fake, I’m just not into it at all. When I first came out here, I found it hard to trust anyone and it sucks to constantly have your guard up but that’s the business. Although LA is really cool because it is so easy to network and meet interesting people anywhere.

Do you find that certain genres of music are more inspiring than others?
Not specifically. There’s definitely something to be taken from any and every genre of music. Music will inspire you in one way or another, you know?

Follow Samantha Marq on Twitter.