God is infinitely creative, and everyone's different, and everyone has a different path, a different lesson, a different song, a different face, a different voice.
Your real job in this world is to be you.
When it comes down to the song writing, I'm just very slow - very slow. Because the songs are about my life, so I'm doing emotional work on myself. As I'm writing these songs, I have to learn these lessons and dig real deep into my heart to write this stuff.
I think it's OK that everyone's not real heavy and wordy and heady.
I heard a voice that told me I'm essential. How all my fears are limiting my potential. Said it's time to step into the light and use every bit of power i have inside.
Eating is not one of the things that I do now to deal with pain, because I don't ever want to do that. But I isolate myself, that's what I do.
It's not fair that people ignore AIDS in Africa because it's Africa. It's not fair.
There's hope. It doesn't cost a thing to smile. You don't have to pay to laugh. You better thank God for that.
What is socially irresponsible, once again, is just all my opinion. But there are things that I don't think are cool.
Go on and love yourself, cause everything's gonna be alright.
The difference between living and feeling alive, is using your fear as fuel to fly.
Life is a journey, not a destination; there are no mistakes, just chances we've taken.
Because you never know where life is gonna take you, And you can't change where you've been, But today, I have the opportunity to choose.
I say everything and I do whatever I want to do. I'm just me. The polished version of me, I suppose, because I have on clothes and makeup. But emotionally, I am very on the surface.
There is no secret, you try and never stop trying. If you have to sleep all day, and get up the next day, you keep trying. If you have to take 3 years away, do it and then come back. But it's all about trying. Not everything will work, but some things will, and you have to try.
In reality, on the grand scale, in my opinion... we are actually all responsible for each other.
The thing that makes me feel most alive is knowing that there's something that I have to do that I'm afraid of.
The songs that I've written about Africa, and AIDS and HIV and about the power of humanitarian love, those songs, I'm gonna sing them because I know that it's real.
You're beautiful like a flower More valuable than a diamond You are powerful like a fire... There is nothing in the world that you cannot do When you believe in you, who are beautiful Yeah you, who are brilliant Yeah you, who are powerful Yeah you, who are resilient
I don't see social media as lending my voice as much as I see it speaking my truth. If you look at my open letters, the one I wrote about Blue Ivy too - you see, I am always as the foundation, talking about us being a better humanity. I believe in that.
I'm still afraid of things, obviously - we're human. But I like that feeling of being afraid.
What did not demolish me simply polished me.
It's in my music, and its on my mind all the time. To spread love, healing peace and joy is my mission in life - and so I speak up.
Anyway, in my performance style, I'm a singer-songwriter. People can call it neo-soul or R&B or whatever. But at the core, when you see me live, I'm a singer-songwriter.
I decided that instead of apologizing for having a lot to say, I wanted to create a format where people would come to hear me sing and speak.
It seems nobody really talks about what we do with our emotional pain. Only the ascendant perhaps, who have learned how to fully meditate or do yoga or whatever through their emotional pain.
I have, my whole life, been healing the girl inside, the part of me that struggles about being a female in the world. That's why I write about the things I write about.
If you create the game, then you create the rules.
I'm passionate about the empowerment and healing of girls and women. Where I do the most work in that regard is in my songwriting.
A person's either responsible for themselves or we're all responsible for each other.
Things that I'm afraid to do are always about being afraid of being exposed. Every time, that's what it's always about.
The thing that makes me most vulnerable is romantic relationship.
There is one relationship I was in that I learned a lot from. I learned a lot from the situation about myself and about relationships and about love, about how to relate to people, about forgiveness and the stuff that comes with being in a relationship.
It doesn't cost a thing to smile.
I managed because of my mother. I managed because I'm strong. I managed the same way every other abuse survivor survives, you just do. So many people have been abused, it's not rare, it's a very common human experience, and we survive. Also, my music plays a big role in my thriving. Having an outlet, it really makes a difference.
Because of what I've chosen to do for my work in the world, almost every time that there's something that I'm afraid to do that I need to do, I have to do it in front of other people. It makes me feel exposed.
There's another style of meditation that I've been doing since my mid-twenties. Tapping into your higher self to get a glimpse of yourself from the outside and get insight into what's going on in your life. I learned that from my godfather in my mid-twenties.
My life is so tumultuous. I dive into everything. I'm feeling all up and down and sleepy and moody and hormonal - it just gets crazy. Just to keep myself balanced, I do things like yoga and meditation.
Tolerance is the seed, and the gift of pure acceptance is the tree
I am not my hair I am not this skin I am not your expectations, no I am not my hair I am not this skin I am the soul that lives within.
The only thing constant in the world is change, that's why today I take life as it comes.
I was born in love with music. My mother is a singer, many of my aunts and uncles on my mother's side are musical, my grandparents sang and played blues piano. It's literally in my blood. My mother wrote an original song to teach me the days of the week.
I'm a Libra, I always have two sides of everything.
I cant control everything, and I dont need to
If he ever left me, I wouldn't even be sad; no, 'cause there's a blessing in every lesson, and I'm glad that I knew him at all.
In a world of smoke and ashes, you are milk and honey
When I think about the cause I'm most passionate about, it's all in my music all the time, because I'm always singing about the empowerment of women. Always, even when it's a little love song - it's still about the empowerment of women and this high spiritual nature of love. It's the biggest healer ever.
I do experiment with lots of different genres. In making music, I don't think of genre like, "I want to do this, because I'm going use that country music sound; I'm going use that hip-hop sound; I'm going use that acoustic [sound]." It's just making music. So now that I've traveled a lot more since I did Acoustic Soul, I'm sure that different sounds will come into place, because I have been exposed to it and I like it. But it's not so much of a conscience effort. It's mind and spirited. You know, we're humans.
I started dealing with my emotional pain by writing. I always had been a writer, but just not songs. Saying things on paper that I would never, ever say, and saying things to myself, admitting things to myself, about myself and my personality, just putting it on paper, is how I deal with emotional pain.
What tried to demolish me, I allowed to polish me.
There aint no substitute for the truth, either it is or it isnt. You see the truth it needs no proof, either it is or it isnt. And you know the truth by the way you feel.
There's a million ways to make people happy.
I choose to be authentic in everything I do
The worst disease in the world is hate. And the cure for hate is love.
My body is beautiful and sacred, and I'm going to celebrate it.
No matter what anybody says, what matters most is what you think of yourself.
Every mountain needs someone to climb it, Every ocean needs someone to dive in, Every dream needs someone to wish it, Every adventure needs someone to live it
I was very fortunate to have learned the transforming power of music early in life. As an adult I want to share that power by inspiring people to care about their neighbors near and far. Being a UNICEF Ambassador allows me this kind of opportunity.
I like when a teenager comes and talks to me on the street. I've been through a lot and I have a lot to share.
You're only human. Let's break free of this gravity of judgment And fly high on the wings of forgiveness.
Either you're a hater or a lover.
Some people just don't like to be their self. I'm always looking, analyzing myself.
I will be patient, kind, faithful and true To a man who loves music a man who loves art Respect's the spirit world and thinks with his heart
Back when I had a little, I thought that I needed a lot. A little was overrated, but a lot was a little too complicated. See, zero didn't satisfy me. A million didn't make me happy. That's when I learned a lesson that it's all about your perception....THERE'S HOPE. It doesn't cost a thing to smile. You don't have to pay to laugh. Better thank God for that.
I'm not just making rhymes and making melodies. I'm expressing my true life force, energy.
It's always sad to me when certain people are excluded from being considered beautiful... because of someone else's expectation. That bothers me.
Strength, courage & wisdom...it's been inside of me all along.
I feel very strongly in my opinion that everyone is responsible to themselves for what they do.
When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me Every freckle on my face is where it’s suppose to be And I know my creator didn’t make no mistakes on me My feet, my thighs, my Lips, my eyes, I’m loving what I see
One of the things that I've worked my way out of doing, and I knew that I needed to, was comparing myself to other people. That just poisins everything. It all of a sudden dtermines even clothes you're going to choose to wear that day or what you're going to do with a music production or how you're going to sequence it. It poisinseverything. Your real job in the world is to be you. Comparing yourself to other people I think that hurt me more than anything. Allowing myself to go there so much in my head hurt me.
Over the years, I was doing what I loved to do, which is my music. But it was always a bit distorted, because I was doing the music in the way other people around me were telling me it should be done.
I'm not the average girl from your video and I ain't built like a supermodel but I learned to love myself unconditionally because i am a queen
I'm just in that stage where I pray for God to show me how I can be effective in the world and things come up and I go. But I have yet to really dig in.
If I'm not doing anything to make a change, then I'm responsible.
Break the Shell”: “Child, it’s time to break the shell Life’s gonna hurt but it’s meant to be felt You cannot touch the sky from inside yourself You cannot fly until you break the shell.
If you give me half a chance. I'll prove this to you. I will be patient, kind, faithful and true.
The truth, it needs no proof. Either it is or it isn't.
Success is clarity of my intention....and reaching that intention while being true to myself and with joy.
Your work is to find healing. And I find, for me, it's a little bit at a time, and eventually it's barely there. And the journey is finding what works for you and doing it.
You hear people sing songs about when they really can't stand anyone anymore or you hear people sing songs about when they really love someone and they really love them.
I'm African American, I'm a lot of other things, a musician and an artist. But that woman part holds the most pain for me. And therefore, obviously, the most lessons.
Make choices that are loving for yourself - with your diet, your relationships, and in speaking your loving truth - that are in alignment with what you want to be doing. When you see that in a person, you are seeing their passion and fulfillment, and that person feels good to you because they feel good to themselves. I know that I feel good and I think that comes across on stage; when I didn't feel good before, I think that came across on stage.
In the quest for fortune and fame...don't forget about the simple things.
Everybody has their own path. I got mine.
There are rules but there's really no wrong way.
In the music industry it's just you're either Black or white, and this is the box you get put in.
Chaos isn't good for your health.
You know how people are becoming sexually active way too early because they think it's going to be like it is in the movies. And people are not aware of their bodies in a certain way, because they are afraid to see themselves for who they are because they want to see themselves in someone else's shoes or whatever.
Beautiful jewelry, a beautiful room - that's what museums are - a beautiful painting, a beautiful face, it makes you feel good to look at, and that's a beautiful thing.
Any time someone is passionate about a cause, it's because they want to heal something inside of themselves.
When I perform, I'm just very much just being myself.
I do all the things that singer-songwriters do. I introduce the songs, I have a story to tell about everything all the time - I cannot be on stage and have something on my mind without telling the audience. I'm super emotional and expressive and vulnerable in that moment.
