There is an energy in New York that is like nowhere else I've been, and I feel free there, and that is inspiring.

Being able to meet fans who look up to me and letting me know they have been inspired by me in some way is so humbling.

Meeting Justin Bieber was interesting. We were backstage at The Voice, and he was there premiering his "Boyfriend" music video. I was in six-inch heels, so I was towering over him like a giant.

Believing in myself has always been hard. For a long time, I constantly compared myself to others, and it took away from the energy I could have been putting into my career.

Sometimes, as a young artist, I was looking for validation to know I was good enough, and that's what the initial audition gave me. It made me feel like I was doing something right, even if it is a scary or unstable path.

A lot of my friends are musicians or artists, and their talent always pushes me to think creatively.

I live in Brooklyn, New York. It is a melting pot of cultures and people. I walk down the street, and there is art on the buildings and people congregating who have been neighbors for years and events and music and freedom.