I started dealing with my emotional pain by writing. I always had been a writer, but just not songs. Saying things on paper that I would never, ever say, and saying things to myself, admitting things to myself, about myself and my personality, just putting it on paper, is how I deal with emotional pain.

A person's either responsible for themselves or we're all responsible for each other.

The songs that I've written about Africa, and AIDS and HIV and about the power of humanitarian love, those songs, I'm gonna sing them because I know that it's real.

Either you're a hater or a lover.

Go on and love yourself, cause everything's gonna be alright.

If he ever left me, I wouldn't even be sad; no, 'cause there's a blessing in every lesson, and I'm glad that I knew him at all.

I say everything and I do whatever I want to do. I'm just me. The polished version of me, I suppose, because I have on clothes and makeup. But emotionally, I am very on the surface.