But I think I'm a nice friend and a good person, and I try to do my work as best I can.

I definitely feel more complete than before. There's a void you have when you don't feel you've found the other part of who you are, so I'm in a different place now and that's nice to experience.

I'm very hard on myself and I have too many issues.

It's hard to be someone that people talk about and write about, you know? They don't know me.

Never listen to anybody who try to discourage you.

If critics have problems with my personal life, it's their problem. Anybody with half a brain would realize that it's the charts that count.

I don't think anyone knows as much about what's right for me as I do.

A lot of people are singing about how screwed up the world is, and I don't think that everybody wants to hear about that all the time.

Never, never listen to anybody that try to discourage you.

I've seen other artists put out movies that went straight to DVD, and no one cared. Maybe their own fans bought the thing, and that was fine.

I've seen the real extreme diva behaviour and I don't think that's who I am.

I work myself into the ground. But I think I'm a nice friend and a good person, and I try to do my work as best I can.

One day I promised God that if he would give me my voice back I would never smoke again. I got three octaves back after quitting.

I try not to be a jerk. I really do. I try to be nice and cordial.

You really just want to know that somebody loves you for you. Sometimes you feel like an ATM machine with a wig on it.

So when you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong, and you'll finally see the truth - that a hero lies in you.

Whatever you're going through in your life, don't ever give up.

I could do my own nails... I went to beauty school in the 11th grade. But why would I do that now?

Time is irrelevant to me. I never wear a watch.

I am very insecure about my looks, and I always have been because of being mixed race.

Forget the image, forget the ensemble, forget the rumours, forget the short skirts, the big hair, whatever! I owe this to the fans and I will never forget you so I want to accept this award on behalf of all of you.

You really have to look inside yourself and find your own inner strength, and say, 'I'm proud of what I am and who I am, and I'm just going to be myself.'

People are like, 'What is your whole obsession with butterflies?' I'm like, 'I'm not obsessed. I like them. Can't anybody like something?'

In this world, I call the shots and I think I know best.