Singer Tatiana Kochkareva had only been to the United States once before she moved from her native Moscow to attend the University of Miami on a full scholarship to study jazz.

Just a few years later, the Astoria resident is preparing to release her third album while rehearsing for the upcoming WNYC Battle of the Boroughs competition at the Green Space, where she will represent Queens.

While in Moscow, Kochkareva, who has only a slight accent, said she knew she wanted to study jazz, and she did a lot of research into universities with well-known jazz programs. She got accepted to a couple of places before choosing Miami.“I never went to visit any schools, which is not common practice,” she said. “When I got to school, I’d see all the kids on college tours and thought about how I missed all of that.”

Despite the fact that she was used to it being 20 degrees below zero for months at a time, she was too focused on her studies to totally immerse herself in the South Beach lifestyle.

“When you are in school it’s not for vacation, it’s for education,” she said. “It limits you because you are studying, and the only thing different is the setting.”

As Kochkareva was deciding where she wanted to live after college, she visited New York City during Spring Break of her senior year.

“It seemed closer to Moscow because it’s cultured, the weather is similar,” she said. “I liked that you could be independent [without a car] and there is a wide platform for people doing all styles of music.”

Kochkareva’s musical style would prob- ably best be labeled as indie rock, and she mixes her classical and jazz training with her love of rock music giants like Pink Floyd and Queen.

“When I went to school, the rock thing kind of went away because I was immersed in jazz,” she said. “But then I started going back to rock. I just like very expressive music.”

Growing up in Moscow, Kochkareva said she was exposed to British rock because of her father. She said Freddy Mercury — the late lead singer of Queen — was an inspiration because his voice is not only amazing, but so unique and original.

According to her website, her bold move from Moscow to Miami inspired her first rock album, “Moments.” She recorded it in 2006 with bassist Alexander Kuzmichev, from Russian rock band Voskreseniye, and the album was so well received she appeared on Russian’s take on American Idol, “Fabrika Zvezd,” in 2007.

After moving to the City two years later, she released her second record, “Dreamers”, which incorporated more pop styling with jazz vocals and deeply personal lyrics about her struggles throughout her career.

Her third album, “Infinity”, will be released on April 19. Kochkareva said the entire process took about three years from start to finish. It features a more eclectic take filled with electric elements and sonic experimentation.

“When I first started, I didn’t even have a full album in mind,” she said. “But it was me writing music and being a musician with my band and performing shows. That is all a part of the album creation process.”

She said that even books she read and conversations she had with people were all elements involved in creating the album. A year ago, she decided to go into the studio to make a full record.

Kochkareva wrote both the lyrics and the music for the album and said that is usually a synergy of both words and sound at the same time, rather than writing either the music or lyrics first and then adding the other element.

“It’s usually more musically driven for me and the melody becomes complete first,” she said. “There is usually one line of lyrics or maybe one line or verse or just random words. Then I have to go back and rewrite some stuff.”

The Battle of the Boroughs competition represents a major opportunity for exposure, Kochkareva said. With such a big career moment upcoming, one would think she would be nervous.

“I am excited about it,” she said. “I’m just working on the release of the album and not focusing on being stressed out. I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

Kochkareva said she hopes to go on tour to support her album, and she is shopping her demo to record labels in hopes of taking the next step in her career.

“You can’t take [the rejection] personally,” she said. “It’s like a continuous job interview on all different levels.”

Though she is extremely busy preparing for shows and the album release, she does find time to relax. When she is not working on her music, she enjoys spending time with friends, exploring the City and visiting its many museums. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is her favorite.

“I like being active,” she said. “The culture is one of the things I like about New York and one of the things that made me move here in the first place.”

For more information on Kochkareva and her music, visit her website, ilovetatiana.com.

As seen in the Feb. 16 edition of the Queens Tribune