From the music I make, to the things I do in my life, I'm true to my R&B core.

Never forget the morals instilled in you and what really matters in Life. Never let other voices of other people drown out your inner voice

As blacks, all we got is sports and entertainment. That's the only way out the hood sometimes.

I grew up poor, but I didn't really know it because of amazing places like the Salvation Army where we got a lot of our Christmas presents from.

In my dressing room, you'll definitely find some Starbursts and Skittles. I have a lot of candles that remind me of home, and a humidifier for my voice. I also have some digital Kodak albums where I have pictures of my friends and family.

When you are giving a certain portion of your life to people and you're selling it sexually, you're selling it sensually, and you're selling it romantically - for you to then take that portion that you give only to fans away and to give it to one person, it kind of... if they don't approve, it might be crickets for me.

I take pride in working very hard. You need to understand that hard work doesn't instantly pay off. My career grew gradually and taught me a lesson every step of the way.