I want to be the black Madonna.

I just really wanted to be myself. I wanted to be sassy, the attitude, all these things that I am.

In the first two years of my career, there were a lot of restraints on what I could do. I couldn't wear certain colors of lipstick, like bright pink, dark pink or red; [my lips] had to be natural. Eventually, I stopped communicating with certain people at the label, and did exactly what I wanted to do. And that was to cut my hair, dye it black, change my clothes, change my sound. Really to just express myself.

Success for me isn't a destination it's a journey. Everybody's working to get to the top but where is the top? It's all about working harder and getting better and moving up and up.

I'm open to love. But guys should have to earn it. Because the minute they get it, they want something else.

The thrill in fashion for me is taking a risk and daring myself to make it work. Even when I go shopping, I always buy something twisted and I know I'm going to have to figure out somehow to pull it off and make it my own.

I have always loved kids. They are little adults with so much personality, and it is fun to work with that. Whether that means donating school supplies or medication, or using my celebrity status to get them a bone marrow transplant, I want to help.