Me in my music and onstage - that's me without any fears of judgement; that's me when I'm shining.
I'm sure there are a few things in my CD collection that might surprise people. I like classical music, the blues, and I'm a big fan of alternative rock.
I wanted to give people a taste of my own music through the sound and style of my covers.
Being a woman in music was fine, but when I wanted to direct, I was poking my head into a man's world.
But why is it that in music, anything more than 5 years old - apart from a few hits - is never played on radio to the young public?
Radio and TV can still push a band, but things need to be shaken up. There is the Internet, but mostly what I see there is little kids on YouTube playing music.
When I got into music, I wanted to learn guitar just enough to be able to write songs. I wanted to be able to express myself.
I studied audio engineering at university. The background I am from, music was never seen as a viable career; it was always a hobby.
For too long, musicians have been the greatest enemy of music. Their lack of desire to proselytize is a kind of betrayal.
That's the exact concept behind the music: to take that kind of, I guess whatever you want to call it, jazz sensibility - but not have it be about solos.
I spent a lot of time in Tower Records. I'm a huge music nerd, and Tower was instrumental to me when I was growing up.
Despite all the technical improvements, it still boils down to a man or a woman and a microphone, playing music, sharing stories, talking about issues - communicating with an audience.
Stone walls confine a tinker; cold iron binds a witch; but a musician's music can never be fettered, for it lives first in her heart and mind.
Not compromising the music, but there is a way, by just showing the people that you're sincere and honest with what you're doing, and by talking to them.
I can only speak for myself - there were times when I just wasn't inspired by creating music.
Music is unique because you can get behind enemy lines a little bit, get into people's houses and into their heads, on their stereos, and win hearts and minds.
I used to be fast and loose with the term 'country' because I didn't know what else to call my music. I still don't.
Music can kind of make you one-dimensional. People see what's on the surface and what you rap about, and they make their decision on who you are from there.
I made the decision that I was going to make rap music in, like, fourth grade, so it's been something I was saying for a long time.
I had always thought that I would do something that was connected to music as a career, or possibly Chinese, which was my major.
I think I'm no different from any artist in music. At least once, you want to see your name up on the top.
