Some musicians are born into the kinds of lives that make music journalists salivate. Susan Cagle is certainly one of them.

Born in 1981 in Aruba, Cagle was raised in a cult that her parents had devoted themselves to. The Children of God, also known as Family International, was an apocalyptic Christian group that several other celebrities--River Phoenix and Rose McGowan among them--can claim to having been raised in. She learned the guitar at age seven, and was writing her own music as a teenager. She often busked on street corners to earn extra money for her and her family. By the time she was an adult, she parted ways with her parents leaving the cult for good.

But life wasn't easy on the outside. She moved to New York in 2001 and began performing in the city's extensive subway system, earning money wherever she could. Of her nine brothers and sisters, her sister Caroline and brother Jesse joined her, playing bass and guitar respectively. Together, they began to attract a small following among subway riders.

In 2006, they released their debut album, The Subway Recordings, all of which comes from two performances--one in Times Square Station and the other under Grand Central Station. The record became a favorite of indie rock lovers, though, and earned her a following. Cagle is now exploring acting as well, appearing in the 2008 films New York, Lately and Adam.

In 2007, she earned some major exposure after appearing on Oprah's daytime talk show to perform "Dear Oprah," an ode to the show's infamous host.