"My grandfather was born and raised in New Orleans so I always felt like I had some kind of roots there despite never spending much time in the city as a young adult," says Alia Shawkat from a car in Paris where she's currently filming the KickStarter short, Prestigious Ingredients. The aforementioned grandfather? The late Paul Burke, famed 1950s television and film actor.

"I was really close with him when I was younger. He knew Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole, who was one of his really great friends. All these amazing jazz musicians! He handed his music down to me, so I listened to it all the time," she shares fondly, cementing her status as an undisputedly rad chick.

Last summer, Alia had the chance to spend an extended amount of time in her grandfather's hometown when she was filming Final Girls in the neighboring city of Zachary. "When I went to do this film, I made it a point to take trips into New Orleans with the cast and immerse myself in the music scene," she says. During one of the cast's routine trips to NOLA, Alia found herself at Buffa's Bar and Grill, where she stumbled upon a jazz group called The Swamp Donkeys.

"The guys were so good! I was really impressed. I spent an entire day with them and we became instant friends. I told them that I had sung jazz before, so one night we met up to sing a couple standards. We remained close after the trip and eventually their manager asked if I would come sing on their record. We met up in New York City and recorded some songs. It was a dream come true," she says of the chance encounter. Alia not only covers some Billie Holiday songs with the band, but also stars in their brand-new music video for "A Fine Romance."

"I used to only listen to jazz, but now I'm very into all kinds of stuff. It's hard to classify what genre I listen to. When I hear something I like, it just clicks. I'm drawn to music that reflects the way I feel," she explains. The actress, who starred in Green Room at Cannes and recently wrapped Pee-Wee's Big Holiday, definitely knows how to keep busy. Lucky for us, she made some time to curate a killer summer playlist exclusively for Teen Vogue.

Anyone who successfully mis Tammy Wynette with Drake on the same playlist is clearly on a musical taste level we all need to get on. So is Alia turning her back on film for a musical career? Not at all. Instead, she's bridging industry gaps like a boss.

"Part of my goal as an artist is to rediscover myself in each project. I never want fans to know me solely as a celebrity personality. When that happens to an actor, I feel like it's harder for viewers to lose themselves in the different characters they play. I love creating as much mystery as I can in this modern age. I love challenging myself and getting lost in other worlds," she says.

We love a girl that keeps us guessing. When you're done jamming out to her song selections above, check out Alia's music video with the Swamp Donkey's below and make sure to support the band's Indiegogo campaign.

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