BEDFORD — Katrina Kusa isn’t your average college student. Born and raised in Bedford, Massachusetts, the 19-year-old at Emerson College is no stranger to the spotlight.
At just 10 years old she authored a children’s book, titled “The Kingdom of the Lizards.”
She’s also amassed over 105,000 Instagram followers through her roles in various independent films and her music released under the stage name W!G.
The next chapter in Kusa’s journey is the Miss Massachusetts Teen USA pageant, which she’ll be participating in this year. For Kusa, the pageant is a platform to spread positivity and awareness, particularly about the environment and inclusivity.
News Link Live’s editor, Genevieve DiNatale, delves deeper into Katrina Kusa’s world in an exclusive interview. Here’s what Kusa had to share:
Can you tell me about your acting and music career? You have a huge following on Instagram.
Of course! I am so thankful and grateful for the growth of fans I have received over the past years I have been on social media. It has been such a journey to be a part of. I really appreciate all of the love and the support I have received! I have been acting in different independent film projects and making original music ever since I was twelve years old. My dream is to produce, screen-write, and direct my own projects someday. I hope this year I can create my very own documentary focusing on the different issues such as drug and domestic abuse going on around different towns located in Massachusetts. I hope I can raise awareness in our society to help prevent these kind of issues from occurring especially among young children and teenagers.
I go by the stage name, W!G, with my music. The name is inspired by the different wigs I wear with my outfits as well as the kind of character or personality your outfit shows about yourself. The messages spread across with my music is to stay true to yourself, keep on following your dreams especially during difficult times, and keep on having your head held high no matter what anyone tells you.
I saw in the Bedford Citizen that you are taking part in the Miss Massachusetts Teen USA pageant. Can you tell me what inspired you to do this?
I am participating in the Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 2024 pageant. It is my first time ever competing in a pageant, but I am so excited for what is to come and to cherish this unique and new unforgettable experience. What really inspired me to get involved is to start raising awareness of an issue I would like to focus on and am passionate about. I wrote a children’s book at 10 years old called “The Kingdom of the Lizards” that spreads awareness about taking care of our environment and treating every individual and creature equally no matter where you come from. I hope to keep on spreading positivity and awareness about this message to different grades at schools as well as having the opportunity for children to have a book in their hand, especially with all the technology we have around these days. I am so honored to be part of an organization that gives the opportunity for young women to raise their voice on what they stand for and what they are really passionate about.
Do you just sing or do you write your own music? Also, I forgot to ask, why do you wear wigs?
I sing and I write all of my own music. I wear wigs with some of my outfits because I love to express my personality and character in different forms of expression. If I feel super happy one day, I will wear a very vibrant wig or if I feel fierce and edgy, then I would wear a wig as my statement piece.
So, how and why did your career begin so early? Would you say you are a prodigy?
Since I was a little girl, I always loved to read books. Every weekend my mom and I would go to the local book store and I would be reading books for hours. When I was ten years old I got inspired to write my first short story from watching “Lemony Snicket’s: A Series of Unfortunate Events.” From then on, I was captured to write my very own original stories. During the time, I was living in Florida, and I was seeing how some people would treat animals around nature, especially the lizards. This is when I got inspired to write the book, “The Kingdom of the Lizards.” I wanted to raise awareness at a young age about this issue to other kids, teenagers, and adults.
Prodigy is a very big word. When I think of someone who is a prodigy, I think of Mozart or Albert Einstein. Those are some of the idols I follow and many peers of mine should as well. For me, I still want to think of myself as your “girl next door” who is one of the many young voices who wants to help out society and raise awareness on an issue that I’m very passionate about.
