There are so many people pulling at me at one time - some want the business, some want my love, some just want my support, just to be there or to acknowledge them the same way I used to. To be able to figure that out is an ongoing process, because there's always another show, another album, another moment that I don't want to miss. But I'm pacing myself. I hope the powers that be keep me on a straight course.

It's a great, great experience to finally get the reception that you know you rightfully deserve.

I can be calm and reflective from time to time and other times I can have a burst of energy, that's just me.

I always felt like there was a certain standard of music that I had to do from the beginning, even when I didn't have the recognition that I have now.

Everybody has their own way of hearing songs. My fans are usually pretty on point. Sometimes they go all the way to the bottom of it. It's fascinating to me how far an idea can go. I wrote most of my first album in my mom's kitchen, and now I can go around the world and hear people recite those lyrics, and understand the story, even though they're not from the same area I grew up in.

I don't even have kids. But at heart, I'm a kid myself.

Colorism is not a good thing, especially when you're Black.