UPDATED: Dec. 6, 2017 at 6:09 p.m.

Christina Custode’s musical roots run deep, stemming from her infatuation with a toy piano as a child. After having performed at places like a refurbished bus and a floating stage, the Buffalo native will come to Syracuse this weekend.

Custode creates original music and has worked with acclaimed producer Stuart Epps. A Grammy Recording Academy Artist, her first EP, “I,” came out in 2011 and sold out all physical CDs within the first ten months of release.

The Daily Orange: How did you get into music?

Christina Custode: Well, I came from a very musical family — my father was a trumpet player my entire life. I thought it was normal for kids to have Dixieland bands in their basement. I loved it. I fell in love with this toy piano, and so when I was 8 my dad said, “If you’re really interested in this I’ll buy you a real piano, but you have to take formal lessons.” So, I started taking your standard classical piano lessons when I was 8 years old and it’s just been part of my life ever since.

The D.O.: What’s your favorite part about performing live?

C.C.: My favorite part about performing live is getting that immediate instant feedback from the audience. Especially performing live solo. When you’re alone there’s something really magical about a room with other people engaging in your music. You can hear little sighs after certain lyrics or you hear chuckles after certain lines. It’s just that instant gratification of connection that you get in performing live is intoxicating.

The D.O.: What are you looking forward to about performing at Funk ‘n Waffles?

C.C.: I hear that it’s a really awesome space. I’m excited to see the room and see the space, and I’m excited to have that connection with people in a different part that I haven’t visited yet. That’s always exciting. A new city, a new venue, there’s lots to be excited about for Saturday, for sure.

The D.O.: Is there anything new you’re currently working on?

C.C.: I’m always working on something. That’s something about being a songwriter. You never know what inspiration is going to hit you – you never know when something is going to strike you, and you are going to be inspired to start something.

The D.O.: What inspired you to write your most recent single, “High Water”?

C.C.: I was working in a bar, and it was March, and it was freezing and snowing. It was super miserable out. And this young couple walked into the bar, and the guy was wearing a super expensive suit and he looked super miserable. The girl he was with was dressed, for lack of a better term, very provocatively. I kind of made it my business to watch them for the whole night. I’m sitting in the corner playing the piano and watching them. I kind of had this out of body experience where I saw us all in this character. So, on the way out the door I looked at the bartender and I said, “You know, to come hell or high water we’re all going to make it out of here,” and I went home, and I started singing the chorus to “High Water,” and the song just kind of came out really graphically.

The D.O.: Who is one musician that you aspire to be?

C.C.: I can only pick one? That’s crazy. I would say I grew up on the Beatles — John Lennon, Paul McCartney. They were so iconic. Music has evolved with them, and they really grew as artists. I really respect that, too. As a musician, always trying to write something that’s relevant, that’s genuine, and that’s authentic, and I think the Beatles did an incredible job of writing appropriately for the stages in their own life, as well as what was going on emotionally in the world. I mean they were just a super-mega-star group. Then you got people like Billy Joel, who is just an incredible singer and songwriter, storyteller, pianist. It’s absolutely insane the stuff he’s done in his life. Then if you go back further there’s Bach and Chopin, who I’ve idolized my whole life.

The D.O.: Where’s the coolest place you’ve performed?

C.C.: I have to say it’s a tie. I’ve played some pretty incredible cities, New York, Toronto, but as far as the actual place I’ve played, I once played on a floating stage on the middle of a lake. That was pretty far out. Then most recently I played a festival out in the Catskills, and the stage was actually a refurbished mint green school bus, so that was pretty wild.

The D.O.: What is one piece of advice you have for aspiring musicians?

C.C.: Don’t give up. You know, because this industry is no joke. It’s not for the thin-skinned or the weak-stomached. It’s tough, and my biggest advice would be to find your thing, and do your thing. Do it unapologetically, and just don’t give up. No matter what anyone says just keep your head down and keep working.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, Christina Custode’s affiliation with the Grammy Awards was misstated. Custode was not nominated for a Grammy. The Daily Orange regrets this error.