I think it is important to grow. Your fans are growing up with you whether you like it or not. You have to keep it fresh and exciting for them. You have to bring something new to the table each time.

I definitely caught a lot of backlash in my situation, not just from students but also from faculty, which was unfortunate, given that I was spending a lot of my time outside school working on a career, which a lot of people didn't really agree with.

My parents were both very musically inclined, they were both songwriters and musicians, so we grew up in the house singing music together, and R&B had a huge strong arm in the foundation of my career.

Anybody who has a career is going to have to deal with a rumor in their time, or something that usually isn't true. I have a great team behind me and a family that supports me. I just care too much about my career. I have been working too long to let it slip away for something stupid.

Sometimes I need to go for a walk for inspiration.

I have lived the American dream in every aspect, and now I hope to make a very big impact in helping the planet.

It's different if you're self-fed by a culture such as the U.S. where it's so rich, you don't have to look outside. Everything's already there. But when you grow up in the desert, you have to be looking all over for inspiration.

All of my career, I have been - how can I say this? - I have been through certain difficulties, and I have always tried to make it motivation to get better and better.