Bryn Mawr College graduate Michelle Zauner has managed to beat the odds and achieve a career in two fields that do not have a high rate of success: as an indie musician and a memoirist, writes David Marchese for The New York Times.

The 33-year-old Zauner has released three albums of alternative pop under the nom-de-band Japanese Breakfast, including the critically acclaimed Jubilee. She recently performed several songs from the album along with her band on Saturday Night Live. Zauner also penned her memoir, Crying in H Mart, which turned out to be both an artistic triumph and a surprise best seller that has stayed on the New York Times best-seller list for over 40 weeks.

“For a long time, and maybe still in some part of me, I felt like I had to have a backup job,” said Zauner. “This kind of validation makes life a lot easier.”

With a recently released successful album, Zauner is now working on the screenplay based on her book and preparing to tour with Japanese Breakfast this summer.

Read more about Michelle Zauner in The New York Times.