I was a very quiet, shy child. I grew up in a small town, Louisville, Kentucky, and there weren't too many Hawaiian-Filipino girls, so I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn't look like everyone else and didn't feel I belonged... But these things only build character and make you stronger. It taught me to grow into the woman I was to become.

I don't really believe in diets. I love food... If I deprive myself, I'm going to want it more. I snack on yogurt, raw cashews and cherry tomatoes.

I've always had a fighter's spark in me. I was born with it. I think it's in my blood.

It's important for a woman to feel good in her clothes. It's OK to have curves and to work them.

It’s important to be fearless yet vulnerable. It takes courage to do both.

I was a very quiet, shy child. I grew up in a small town, Louisville, Kentucky, and there weren't too many Hawaiian-Filipino girls, so I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn't look like everyone else and didn't feel I belonged... But these things only build character and make you stronger. It taught me to grow into the woman I was to become.

I'm no diva but I can be annoying in a recording studio. Of course I try to be a diva in terms of confidence of performance and owning a song but I've never behaved like one in terms of the negative connotations of the word.