Alizadeh, who was born in Afghanistan and moved to Iran as a young girl, knows how lucky she is that she didn't end up a child bride. She told CNN that she watched other girls get married off at as young as 12 years old."If I had gotten married, my whole life would be different. I am still a teenager, and I would have so many problems," she wrote in a recent essay on the website for GirlEffect, an initiative supported by the Nike Foundation . "I would probably have many children by now, and my whole life would be lived inside my home. I wouldn’t be able to think about my future."Now Alizadeh is a student at a school in Utah. Her personal story and skills have made international headlines. She was featured in both the BBC's 100 women of 2015 series and the Women in the World summit in London earlier this fall . Despite the attention, Alizadeh says she remains focused on pursuing her key passions."Right now, the three most important things in my life are school, my music, and working to end child marriage," she wrote. "I hope that all of these things will continue far into my future."And she hopes her story of overcoming the odds will inspire other girls worldwide to continue to fight for greater rights."Girls need to have hope for their future, even if it is hard," she said. "If a girl loses hope, she’ll feel dead inside, and this is the worst thing."Watch Alizadeh's debut music video below: