Bringing a fresh, edgy vibe to mainstream pop and unafraid to boldly speak her mind, 18-year-old Manika follows her breakout Top 40 pop hit "Just Can't Let You Go" featuring Young Money’s Lil Twist with her second single "Good Girls".

“Good Girls” is the lead single from her debut, five-track EP entitled “THE MIDDLE OF HOLLYWOOD EP,” and is slated for release May 22nd

Working with some of music industry’s highest caliber management, songwriting and production talent, Manika (pronounced Ma-NEE-ka) was discovered by Frank DiLeo, Michael Jackson’s long-time manager, and television personality and revered vocal performance coach CeCe Sammy (U.K.’s “Pop Idol”).

Inspired by such artists as Avril Lavigne, Pink and Alanis Morrisette, Manika is working on modern Top 40 tracks with a rock edge featuring attitude and fiery rock guitars. Says Manika, “I’ve always loved both writing and songwriting,” she adds. “The journey is fascinating to me. When I watch a live performance back on video, I think about how everything started from a simple emotion, feeling or story I wanted to tell. The next step is to play with song ideas, and then lay down instruments and vocals. Then it all takes shape and suddenly that simple spark has blossomed into something huge and powerful that people can enjoy.”

Manika—whose mixed heritage includes Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian and Spanish--brings intelligence, wit and tons of emotional life experiences to her songs. Early on, she won the “Outstanding Performance Award” three years straight at the National Performing Arts Festival in New York City. At age 15, she wrote and published The Exciting Adventures of Boo, a fictional children’s book and donated proceeds from the first 750 copies to the Nevada SPCA animal shelter. Manika also participated in writing workshops for children and visited children’s hospitals to read it to young cancer patients and their families. These activities are just the beginning of the many philanthropic goals that Manika intends to pursue as her musical career takes off.

“When CeCe first approached me I told her that I was fully committed to my music and performing career, and that is my passion…to me it’s always been about being an all around creative person. Both live and on studio recordings, there’s nothing more important to me than touching people with my music and connecting with them through the stories I’m privileged to tell.”