Kiesza 'didn't know' she would become a singer for a living.

The 25-year-old Canadian songstress is swiftly becoming a big hit on the music scene, having released singles like Giant in My Heart to great success.

But Kiesza reveals making songs for a living wasn't always what moved her.

'I didn't know that I was gonna be a singer when I was born,' she laughed to Perez Hilton.

'I wanted to be a ballerina starting when I was three. But I worked from three to 15 to be a prima ballerina really. And then I got a knee injury and had to give it up it was really sad.'

After her ballet career was cut short, Kiesza took solace in sailing.

The star learned how to play guitar while she was out on the seas in a boat.

'So then I decided to become a sailor. I started writing music from the sailboat from the tallship I was on because people would bring instruments on the ship, like the guitar, ukulele,' she explained. 'At the time I was classically trained on the piano but I couldn't bring a piano on the boat. Wrote my first song the day I picked up the guitar.'

Kiesza is aware she has cultivated many talents over the years from her diverse interests.

And the star appreciates all she's learned.

'I've had a few movie moments in my life where I had to just give something,' she said. 'I've always needed to pour myself into something and be passionate about it.'