I’ve questioned everything about myself, every step of the way. You have to have the same amount of fear and self-doubt as you do hope and blind optimism.

I think I feel in love with words before I feel in love with music.

If you're lucky enough to have something that makes you different, don't ever change.

You have to able to make fun of yourself. Don't take things too seriously and when people make fun of you, laugh at it.

My dad is adorably optimistic, positive, pie-in-the-sky. He thinks every new song I write is my best. He sells T-shirts at my merchandise stands and hands out guitar picks to fans.

When I was 8 years old, it mattered what my favorite singer said and wore and expressed opinions about. And if I have a chance to matter to the growth and hopes and wishes of little girls, that's something I can't take lightly. So I do factor them in when I'm thinking about what to wear, and what to say, and whether or not to go out to bars even thought I'm not twenty-one.

That moment when Kanye West secretly records your phone call, then Kim [Kardashian] posts it on the internet.