My 'Chili Palmer' was my mother. Her name is Carmen Milian, and she's my manager. Before getting into music, we actually educated ourselves, and I went to college for music as a business and learned the business side, and she read a lot of books.

With my first single, 'AM to PM,' I was just this cute 18-year-old. But 'cute' didn't get me older roles, and 'cute' wasn't selling records. I wanted people to see that I'd grown up, so I did 'Dip It Low.'

I was in musical theater when I first started, so there was always both acting and singing. But as far as getting a record deal, that took time. The majority of that time, I was acting.

My father's in the military, so we moved a lot. I was born in Jersey but grew up in Maryland until we moved to L.A. to pursue my acting career. Music came into it after that.

I'm not one of those girls who gets with somebody for the jewelry.

At the end of the day, I'm Violet's mom, and I want the best for her.

I have a fan base that goes everywhere from 5 to - I don't even know what age, but grown adults.

There are a lot of options when it comes between music and acting. For me, because I'm so passionate about my music career, you have to be extremely passionate when you have opportunities like films and real money actually coming to you compared to with music.

A great script might come my way, and I could be in the middle of music. So, it's a huge choice that I have to make - if I'm going to go do a movie or if I'm going to turn it down - because it could be an opportunity that could send my career through the roof, and you never know.

The writing process is more... it becomes a case of more like a diary for me. I mean, I write stuff down all day whenever I'm experiencing something that I think would be important for me to look at later on. You know, whether it be for writing lyrics or just for a memory, like, 'Oh, my gosh, I can't believe I was feeling that way at that time'.

When it comes to my career and investing into myself, I'm going to be very particular and meticulous about how I'm doing things so that I can reach the level of success that I want. I'm also going to take some chances, because who better for me to invest in than myself?

It takes a lot of work to be a great mother, a great daughter, and a great friend. All those things take effort, and I think, after having my daughter, she opened up this fearlessness within me, and I'm setting an example for her.

I felt like by doing 'Turned Up,' it was something for my fans. It would be a great outlet for me to come out musically and really step up my game.

'We Are Pop Culture' is my clothing line for women that started with just T-shirts. The clothing line is urban street wear. It's for women that feel confident in their own skin and want to express themselves. The whole idea is to play with modern pop culture and previous pop culture using art and sayings.

I want Violet to be proud of every little thing that is her - her hair, her body. We're all different, and from early on, I've always said she has a very confident personality, and I want her to maintain that.

Once upon a time, the homemaker was just Mom, but now we've evolved and come to a place where we're celebrating grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads - all the people that keep it safe and clean for our kids - and the overall health for ourselves so we can continue to function and do the variety of things we all do.

I've teamed up with Pine Sol to celebrate the makers of home.

I guess NBC must have noticed that one of my main staples is social media. So, when they approached me for 'The Voice,' I thought, 'Why not be the first one to do it?'

There's nothing better than that feeling of new chemistry when you're so into someone, and you could care less about what anyone else thinks... and there's butterflies! It's a real feeling that people experience.

Even if I am just sleeping with her or just watching cartoons in bed, I know Violet values that. I try to make the most of every moment and just make it special with her, because its what matters to me most.

When its time to go off to work, or work out, I have a great support system: a great nanny and friends who offer to help out whenever they can.

As a mom, that's at the forefront of everything in my mind, so I'm always trying to balance, whether it's bringing Violet to work or, the second I am done working, getting home to her.

I have always been a multitasker when it comes to my career; I've been an actress, a singer and everything because I love to do what I do.

I have a lot of respect for the musical theater plays.