You never know what's actually going on in a person's life. You don't know what happened to them before you met them...and that's why they are the way they are. But I do think about it whenever I get in contact with my fans. I know this may be the only time they'll ever meet me. I try to take advantage of that moment and be kind and grateful.

I am so grateful for all the love and support I've had from people around the world.

Now it's clear to me/ that everything you see/ ain't always what it seems.

My job is for the people. It's for the public. It's for their consumption. So I've done a lot in that way, and I see that the hard work has finally paid off.

At my second record label, they told me and other female artists that some of us were going on the chopping block. I was 19... and it was devastating.

I just want to make it very clear that I come from very humble beginnings, and I worked for everything!

My mother is very emotional as well, but my dad is more of the guts of the family. He was the main preacher, so he kind of had this little Pentecostal flair, but they are born-again.