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.

It's so different going in the studio and singing your own music and you don't really think about making sure that the message of the song or the idea behind the song comes across to people. Because it's in your head, it's in your heart, whatever, but it's... different when you're playing a character and you're singing as the character. There's just a lot more involved in that, I guess.

When people come up to me and say, 'You made it,' I think, 'But I'm not done yet. Not everyone's heard my music.' I want to be a household name.

If that day comes when I'm done with the acting and singing, I'll just pack it in and go home.

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.

I've never been engaged. I definitely believe in the institution of marriage.

I'd say the key to a good relationship is communication .