Sometimes, especially in the last six months, I still feel like going to the window and singing out all my troubles.
I have more than one side of me that likes to get out on a stage and sing.
Independence was a big, big thing for me. I saw my voice as a way out - when my parents fought, I'd run up to my room, put on The Sound of Music, open the window and sing out. My voice was my escape.
I'm comfortable with my body and it was a creative choice. I know that might make some women feel uncomfortable, but we need to stick together instead of getting angry at each other for our choices. I think women are sensual, beautiful beings, and I feel empowered when I express myself sexually.
There's a witch under this hair. The red lips are - I don't want to call them "armor," but they're the clothes of my character, and I'm in the business of entertainment. Wearing red lipstick helps get me into that world.
At a really young age, I decided I was never going to feel helpless, I was never going to feel weak around a man, and I was never going to rely on anyone.
I was 21. At the time, I was under the thumb of my label, and I felt like I had to do, say and act out everything they asked me to do. I was trying to please them and the public and finally I had to say, "Enough. I'm going to make a record that makes me happy and addresses all facets of being a woman. I don't care if I sell one or one million records." That's how I came to make Stripped.
The red lips are - I don't want to call them "armor," but they're the clothes of my character, and I'm in the business of entertainment. Wearing red lipstick helps get me into that world.
I think that the best way you can get honesty across in your music to connect and relate to people is to be motivated by personal emotions, stories and feelings.
I am very honest, even in interviews.
I lose myself in my performances so I wouldn't say that I ever act on stage. I don't find it to be an acting drill for me. I just find it to be something very real that comes from a very gut-driven, honest place.
Honestly, I just want to have a good time, listen to great singers and great music, and just use my instincts, as usual.
Being a mom changes your life. It actually has made me become more comfortable in my own skin and my own body because it's such a growth and a learning lesson.
It's important for someone who's dealt with violence to be able to talk to someone, no matter who it is. So I'm vocal about how I feel. That's how I've worked through a lot of my problems.
Just the whole concept of burlesque, I've always been fascinated with it. I've always collected so many books about burlesque.
I've always been inspired even more by any naysayers to keep going for what I really want and they've almost been my inspiration many times more so than any positive people around me to conquer.
