My dad raised me with some good advice: "Always tell the truth. Always shoot from the hip. You might not have many friends, but you`ll never have enemies, because people will always know where you`re coming from."

I`m about to make people forget about Madonna.

I`ve always loved to prove people wrong. I want to be able to cross color lines, because in music, there really is no barrier.

I appreciate being a girl more now than ever. There`s a struggle involved in it, but it`s so rewarding when you prove to all men that you might have something up on `em.

When I was in seventh grade my mom caught me smoking cigarettes and punished me by making me smoke the entire carton. All it did was piss me off because I was out of cigarettes.

I decided at 15 that I didn`t want to be one of those artists that gets up and sings love songs they don`t mean. I decided that I was going to be me to the fullest extent, that my songs were going to reflect relationships I`ve had, things I`ve been through, and even the stuff I`m embarrassed about.

I have to speak for myself. As far as videos go--casting, the artwork, everything--I`m completely hands-on. You have to be if you want your points across.