My mom, my aunt, and my grandma banded together and gave me a village of support when I was growing up.

Growing up, when I'd throw out the trash, I'd toss it and dart because all the cats would come running. That's why I still don't like cats.

Growing up in Stockton wasn't all doom and gloom.

Growing up, I read all three of Frederick Douglass' autobiographies by the time I was 12.

I feel like for me the lyric writing really comes from just what's going on in my heart and that's what consumes me; think a lot of our heart is relationships. Not just with boyfriend or girlfriend but all your relationships in your life with other people and our interactions with other humans.

You can listen to carpenters talk for hours in Ireland. The people have a relationship to words that I don't think you will run into anyplace in the world.

When you move from a different country, it takes a while to make friends. I found myself being lonely a lot at first. In New Delhi, I had all my family. But Portland is one of those cities you can immerse yourself in and feel comfortable. People are so friendly.

Here in Washington State, I've supported efforts to provide our law enforcement with the proper training and resources required to meet their changing and demanding needs of their job. In doing so, I feel that the community and the law enforcement relationship will gratefully benefit from a renewed sense of responsibility and accountability.