"I’m a Hustler in a Dress” with Young Indy Actress Maria Howell

You know, just looking over your career, too, I mean, you've done so much work.

And it also looks like here you spent a few years living in Japan.

How did that all come about?

I did.

I got married.

And the ex-husband was in the military.

And so he was like, you know, you might enjoy Asia.

I was like, I've always wanted to live in Japan, believe it or not, or at least perform there.

And so got there, total culture shock.

Two months in, I'm like, I'm getting out of here because this is scary to me.

I can't read anything.

Well, that was two weeks in.

I can't drive.

All the things, right? And then all of a sudden I had this idea because they had all these, I'm going to say it like they do in Asia, karaoke contests, which is karaoke.

And so I said, uh.

Let me go sing.

Maybe that'll keep me from going crazy and off the deep end.

So I would enter these karaoke contests, right? Nobody knew I was a professional singer.

And I would put an ad in the local newspaper advertising or trying to solicit a piano player or a guitar player, because I knew I could gig that way.

So I was trying to get a gig.

And I'd invite them on the military base to the contest.

Now, I was winning the contest, making money, and interviewing musicians at the same time.

I think I was about three to four contests in when I said, you better stop this because people are starting to say, you sing too good.

Something's up with you.

It was so.