LOS ANGELES , California ( CNN ) -- The famed Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood , California , is filled to capacity on a Wednesday night , and it 's only 8:30 p.m. What kind of star could bring out this kind of crowd -- and at such an L.A. early hour ? Zee Avi posted her songs on YouTube and attracted the interest of a record label . How about a Malaysian Internet sensation with a debut album that was released one day earlier ? Such is the buzz around Zee Avi , a 21st-century chanteuse in the most literal sense . Her spot-on Billie Holiday phrasing and honey-sweet voice would have had her entertaining in a café in the 1930s . In this era , she was discovered on YouTube by an indie rocker -- Patrick Keeler of the Raconteurs -- and is on Jack Johnson 's record label , Brushfire , which has partnered with Monotone Records to produce her . Avi 's set of engaging acoustic offerings included an enthralling cover of Interpol 's `` Slow Hands , '' and was delivered with self-assurance and poise . In an interview two days earlier , she credited her parents and grandfather for inspiring her love of music -- sometimes through karaoke . `` Got to love that , '' she says . Avi , 23 , also acknowledges the influence of her native Malaysia , which kept her open to new ways of thinking . `` It 's a big melting pot of different cultures . We get a good mix of East and West , '' she says . Watch the video of `` Bitter Heart '' » . Her love of music -- and of the Malay melting pot -- is reflected in her debut album , `` Zee Avi '' ( Brushfire Records ) . The album , which was released mid-May , fuses early 20th century American standards with modern sounds on songs such as `` Kantoi '' and `` Just You and Me . '' CNN spoke to the singer-songwriter just before the album 's release . The following is an edited version of the interview . CNN : You can hear influences on your album from a wide range of artists and eras , from Billie Holiday to Cat Power . How did all of that find its way to you ? Zee Avi : Music is universal . With the media and the Internet you can gain access to everything . By listening to many different types of music it gives me many ways to fuse it with my own [ ideas ] and then I play whatever comes naturally to me . CNN : How did you develop a love for music and develop your particular style ? Avi : I think if it 's in your blood , it 's in your blood . If you love golf , then you would find which wood is good for this and which putter is good for that . It 's a passion altogether . Same with music . CNN : What made you want to put those songs on YouTube ? Avi : One of my friends missed my first gig . I played my first [ original ] song `` Poppy . '' He 's a poet and a writer and I wanted his feedback because I respect his work . So he said to send the song over to him . I did n't know [ how to send it ] , but I did have this webcam on my dad 's laptop and one of those call center headsets . So I ended up putting it on YouTube and he watched and I said , `` OK , I 'm going to delete it now . '' He said , `` No , let it nest there and see what happens . '' I remember I got one comment and I was so happy ( laughs ) . Then I put my second video up and got three comments . It just went on from there . CNN : And you got a call from Monotone Records . Avi : One of the guys who worked there messaged me on YouTube . He said , `` Hey , we represent White Stripes , M.I.A. , the Shins '' ... and I went `` gasp-gasp-gasp . '' He said they were interested in talking to me . Next thing I knew we had a rough draft of the recordings . CNN : What would you be doing right now if there was no Internet ? Avi : What would [ `` Leave Britney alone ! '' YouTuber ] Chris Crocker be doing right now ? ( huge laughs ) Before the music thing happened , I wanted to study creative writing and philosophy . When I put these songs on YouTube I certainly never meant it to be a marketing tool . I had no expectations of [ what it became ] . CNN : Musically , the album is almost wistful , but darkness permeates the lyrics . Avi : Everybody has that side of their personality that they do n't show anybody . Music is my outlet for that . I also have a positive side -- let 's not be a wet blanket . It 's not my intention for a song to be [ overly ] emotive or anything like that . Velvet Underground 's `` Who Loves the Sun '' plays a very important part in how I write songs . That song is very ironic . If you 're singing along to that song , you 're singing this happy melody but you 're actually singing about someone with a broken heart . It 's sarcasm too , in a way . It 's made such an impact on me , like the fact that you can do that [ with songwriting ] . CNN : Where does the darkness come from ? Avi : Most of my songs are about relationships , and as anyone knows relationships are n't always sunshine and rainbows . Even when it 's good sometimes it 's bad . I try to capture the reality of it . It can be a fairy tale , but it does n't always end up happily ever after . Fine -- prince marries princess and they live happily ever after . But what 's `` after '' ? CNN : As a self-described woman of simple pleasures , how are you dealing with this new whirlwind lifestyle ? Avi : If there 's one thing my parents have taught me it 's to stay grounded . I always keep that in mind . Whatever success I achieve ... I 'm grateful . But I do n't expect anything from it .
Zee Avi posted her songs to YouTube , developed following . Singer combines voice of '30s chanteuse with 21st-century world . One way she found love of music : karaoke .