Kat Von D approached playing the piano like a video game.

The 39-year-old star was “really poor” growing up and didn’t have a lot of toys to play with, so passed the time learning ambitious pieces of music and “felt so good” whenever she accomplished anything significant.

She told the Big Issue magazine “We were really poor growing up. We didn’t have video games or any luxurious toys. We had a piano and, to me, that was like a video game.

“I remember my first sonata. Sonata in G major is not a big hit for Beethoven. It was one of his B-sides, I guess.

“But it was a 12-page song that I could play front to back.

“I was like, ‘Oh wow, I got to the ending. I won.’ It felt so good.

“My parents were pretty disciplinary, so we had a lot of structure in the house.

“I’m super grateful for that now because I think that’s how I am able to get so much done.”

While Kat is best known for her TV appearances and beauty line she’s about to release her first album, ‘Love Made Me Do It’, and admitted music has always been her biggest passion.

She said: “A lot of people know me from the tattoo world and from make-up and all this stuff, but the truth is that music has always been the biggest inspirational force throughout my life.

“I love music so much. It’s the most consistent thing in my life. More than my family, more than friends. I just can’t imagine a life without it.”