Where I come from, if you see your family and friends' civil rights being taken away, you speak up and do everything you can to keep that from happening!

I come from a line of great Sicilian women, and their mentality is to endure and push through to the other side.

Fame doesn't redeem you. It takes a long time to get there, and when you're finally there, you realise you still have authority figures telling you what to do.

People used to throw rocks at me for my clothes, now they wanna know where I buy them.

Before I became famous I had a very full life, and that gave me a lot to pick from. I always use everything. It always comes in handy. Working with animals... Well, I just enjoyed that. That was the most peaceful time.

The more you practice and study, the better you are so I still practice and study all the time.

When I perform on stage, I often pretend to be someone other than myself to bring a certain emotion or intent to a song.