I have always been one to encourage perseverance.

It's been a joy to be a part of other people's journey, to be able to inspire and be a part of new singers coming up in this business.

The most vulnerable people have tough exteriors because they are very scared inside, and it's very hard for people like that - people like me - to open up. But playing it safe means you stop being open to learning. I always try to find the challenges.

I just get really bored with sticking to the norm and having the proper conservative image. That's just so not me.

I'm not just another bimbo.

I went through my first big breakup, with a boyfriend who I had been with for more than two years. He had been one of my dancers, and it was my first love and his.

I was 21. At the time, I was under the thumb of my label, and I felt like I had to do, say and act out everything they asked me to do. I was trying to please them and the public and finally I had to say, "Enough. I'm going to make a record that makes me happy and addresses all facets of being a woman. I don't care if I sell one or one million records." That's how I came to make Stripped.