A lot of women need to know that they don’t have to conform, they don’t have to take no for an answer.
I’ve been writing since I was five years old. I used to write poetry, and I loved to rhyme.
I have to keep doing me. I have to not look at what everybody else is doing, or what everybody else thinks should be happening right now.
Good things take time.
I’m half-Filipino and Filipinos love karaoke.
I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing.
I’d rather have quality over quantity. It’s about perfecting each song and making sure it’s what you want to do. And then even with what I share it’s all very strategic.
After I graduated from high school, I was like, let’s see what happens. I took the time to develop my artistry and my songs, and tried to figure out who I am and what my message is.
It’s a great thing to hear people putting me up to this standard and putting me on this pedestal and expecting greatness from me, but at the end of the day, I’m just trying to be a better me as an artist musically.
Some people, they make these assumptions before they even listen to the music.
Being anonymous, I thought I’d just release the music and see what happens organically.
Through the music, you can pretty much tell what I’ve been through and what I’ve accepted. And releasing it has made me realize I’m not alone in it, because of the reactions I’ve been getting.
My dad had a cover band. They would rehearse in my living room while my mom was pregnant.
People always make me uncomfortable when they ask me: ‘Who’s this song about?’ I feel like I let you read my diary and now we have to have a conversation about it! I already let you read it, let’s just leave it at that.
Before anybody knew who I was, I was just working on what I love and having fun with it, and I’m sticking with that – because, ultimately, that’s what people want to see.
I guess 16, 17, 18, that whole period was a dark time for me. I guess it was a hormonal thing, going through all those changes as a young woman, learning who you are and being comfortable with yourself, and also, which goes along with that, boys. It was definitely an unhappy, ‘Who am I?’ period. ‘Who am I gonna be?’
I’m a perfectionist and I want everything to be amazing every single show.
Some people want the attention, some people want the spotlight, and that just wasn’t it for me.
I was like, ‘Wow, Tommy Hilfiger wants to work with little old me.’ All the dots connected, we had a meeting, and everything started to come together.
I want people to feel the emotion, try to relate to the way that I look or want to be like me in the way that I’m living or whatever.
I’ve learned a lot about myself through my music and the way people perceive it, and the goal is for the success not to change me.
Living my truth was very hard – I felt vulnerable.
I’m always thinking about Prince when I make my music and how genre-less he was and just how versatile and amazing he was on the stage. I’m so inspired by him.
Giving, making an impact on people is something I definitely got from my mother.
I will say about my fans, from day one they’ve been listening and are still listening to my projects on repeat.
I was almost afraid to speak on the things I’ve dealt with as a woman.
I’m so emotional when it comes to even the smallest thing.
Pages: 1 2
