When I said I was born a feminist, I was born thinking woman are equal to men, if not stronger than men. That's the way I always was.

Sometimes to move forward you have to let go. I figured that out through opening myself up, allowing people into my creative process. It allowed me to write songs that surprised me, and in fact, inspired me.

I think kids who have music in their lives are more focused. They have better attention spans. They excel more in their studies. They have a better sense of self-esteem and self-worth.

With Twitter and Instagram and all of these vehicles where fans can directly interact with you and get your attention, there's a little bit of an entitlement. Like, "Why won't you follow me or write me back?" Well, if I write you back, then I have to write everyone back.

Being in a room with other people's energy yields such a different result. I love writing by myself still, but there's something amazing about sharing that experience with someone else.

When you're writing with someone else it helps you think of things you never would've thought of.

Music to me is something that I didn't choose; it was a necessity. I grew up with music, my father is a musician. It makes me happy; it makes people happy.