I have never been prouder to be a lifelong New Yorker than I am today with the passage of marriage equality.

God has more important things to worry about than who I sleep with.

Music, in its higher state, for me, is worth living and dying for. It's worth traipsing around the globe, it's worth the accolades and the other side of the accolades...I always have sung to the angels and the higher parts of people's souls.

I always sang. I wanted to be in a band with my sister, and I was, at 11. At 12, I started writing seriously, and that was my pacifier all through high school - that and painting.

My music is about a joyful experience. I've learned that if you can affect other people, you should.

With fame, I'm able to create more. With every success, you have more freedom to create.

I don't have good business sense. You never get much money for the arts. But I like independence. I like to grow.