Club Skirts: Dinah Headliner Christina Perri on Playing for the Crowd of Thousands of Women

The wildly talented Christina Perri has been tapped to perform on Friday night of the famous Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend this year, in what has proven to be an already eventful 2015 for the singer/songwriter. The 28-year-old celebrated her five-year career anniversary recently with a waffle brownie sundae and an exclusive interview with SheWired.

In early February of 2010, Perri says her soon to be manager discovered her on YouTube. Almost five months later, her song “Jar of Hearts” was featured on So You Think You Can Dance, and after that, Perri says she “exploded like Cinderella overnight.” What followed was a career start that was part whirlwind, part concentrated effort.  Her first album cycle was non-stop for twenty-seven months, and included two multi-platinum singles and her first concert tour. Still, Perri retains her humility and even remarks that she often finds herself asking her therapist if this is actually real life. “It’s beyond normal human experience,” she explains. “Like, I met Chris Martin the other day, and I’m still not sure that happened.”

Earlier this year, Perri performed at the Sundance Film Festival, headlining Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)'s 13th Annual Snowball. She says she was immediately struck by the beauty of Utah’s snow-capped mountains, as she drove up the canyon from the Salt Lake City airport to the quaint ski town of Park City, but had no idea what to expect performing a music event at a film festival. Nevertheless, she says, “It went way better than I could have even imagined. Everyone was silent when I was playing; they were all singing along; there were like old people hugging each other. It was really, really, really great.”

While she may not have known what to expect from Sundance, Perri has a pretty good idea of what the ever-eventful Dinah Shore Weekend has in store for her. Even some of her friends are piling into a van to join her for her performance in Palm Springs. “My friends who have been are so excited that I’m doing this,” she says. “I feel like it’s a giant party.”

Still, Perri, who is famous for her ballads, is excited about the romantic aspect of the weekend. “I’m hoping the audience either slow dances with each other or sings along, gets really emotional because that’s totally my jam. But at the same time, I plan to have a lot of fun!” Perri is a fervent supporter of the LGBT community, adding “I’m a believer in equality so much from my whole being – I just mean it with my whole heart... I just think that that’ll be the vibe.  I think it’ll be a celebration.”

With a five year career already under her belt, Perri says she is focused on finishing her second album cycle. Her talent is clear, but her ambition, poise and positive outlook are even more apparent. Or – as the down-to-earth diva puts it, “I feel like I’m as dorky as I was five years ago.”

Catch Christina Perri and all the exciting Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend action in Palm Springs, April 1-5.