Perri came close to quitting music before big break

American singer Christina Perri almost quit working on her music because she was constantly exhausted from her day job as a waitress.

The musician made it big in 2011 after her debut track Jar of Hearts was used on U.S. reality show So You Think You Can Dance.

But Perri admits she came close to turning her back on songwriting and returning to her native Philadelphia after being ground down by long hours waiting tables in Los Angeles.

She tells the Daily Record, "Before Jar Of Hearts was on the TV show I was just a waitress in Los Angeles working all day and all night.

"I was too tired to work on my music but would do it anyway as it was the only thing that made me feel alive. I thought about quitting at least 20 times and thought about moving back home to the East Coast.

"It's very difficult doing something when nothing is coming from it. So I hope my story shows that you can follow your dreams. Now I can't believe that if I'd gone home I'd be waitressing in Philadelphia, rather than about to start on my first U.K. tour."