I grew up doing musical theatre in Orlando, Florida. When I was 14, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time - a deliveryman heard me singing and offered to deliver my demo tape to Sony Music. I was just really lucky.

I'm lucky to attribute my success to the foundation my family gave me. I've always felt grounded in them.

My mom has always been my support system. She taught me to never give up and to keep pursuing my passions no matter what.

I'm slightly controlling. I'm an Aries and I like things to have an order. I get slightly disturbed and I get slightly distressed and flustered if things go awry.

I write a lot on airplanes actually because it's completely isolating; there's no one to talk to, there's nothing to do. And then I think a lot of it sort of comes out sitting down with the people I'm co-writing with and talking to them about what I'm going through and what I want to say. It just sort of happens; every song came about in a completely different yet organic way.

Being honest...[to reporters] Not the worst thing in the world. Don't write that down.

Tackling malaria in a country like the Central African Republic is a huge uphill battle, and my experiences there have been a healthy dose of reality, fueling my own sense of urgency to do my part in reducing the preventable suffering of the incredible women I met.