Singers From Los Angeles

"Songwriting, for me, was always just a personal outlet to deal with my experiences without having to talk to anyone, especially my parents for many years."

"Writing is the love of my life, so I'm grateful that I had an example of someone who also loves it entirely in really close proximity to me."

"Ooh, bet you're thinking, "She's so cool" Kicking back on your couch, making eyes from across the room Wait, I think I've been there too Ooh, you've got me thinking, "She's so cool" But I know what I know and you're just another dude Ooh, that's so true"

"The night that we wrote the song was kind of this feverish catch-up about our lives. And I think our friendship fostered an environment for a very dramatic song to come about, which is fun."

"Songwriting has been my outlet since I started writing at eight years old. It was a thing that I did when I had big feelings and didn't want to talk to other people about them. It's always been the place where I think I've shown up most honestly."

"Be really aware of the vampires who are always lurking. People are scary and don't have your best interest at heart most of the time. And that's just the truth."

"I think being kind is actually harder than people like to admit"

"Humor trumps everything and is probably number one. I think it trumps being politically correct"

"I’m another human being, floating around out there in the universe and figuring it out, too. If seeing that brings you comfort, or gives you hope, or makes you feel anything— makes you feel not al􏰀one — if that is being a role model, then I’m happy to do that."

"Where women are concerned, there’s a lot of pressure to do everything perfectly, all the time. So when we go out of our comfort zone, it’s no small thing."

"I see the human in everyone and everything"

"in order for someone to be on the top, someone has to be on the bottom. It's oppressive by nature"

"You can tell when someone is driven by labels. If something is couture they think it’s important and wear it and sometimes make a terrible fashion mistake. People are shocked that I know so little about designers. I know the big ones because my grandmother wore them or they’ve been around forever. I know you because you’re my best friend, but I don’t know much about the fashion world except for when I like something, I like it."

"Typically white people have the story, and any kind of minority is like adding that pop of red or fun purse or pair of shoes to jazz up an outfit. These people are accents that make things funny, weird, or dramatic"

"And I don’t really know how or why I’d play the hero’s girlfriend, someone with no point of view. I wouldn’t know what to do with the part. There’s no humanity in that kind of character"

"In the end, it’s all about self confidence. When you have it, there’s no need to overdo anything – you just have to choose the right colours, the right cuts and the right fabrics"

"Everyone learns differently. Everyone hears things differently. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and insecurities, and you have to learn how to support them and what they need to hear. Some actors really need to hear ‘Good job’ after a take. Some actors don’t care. It’s really understanding that"

"all the scripts that were being sent were about the first Black woman to make a muffin or something. Even though those stories are important to tell, I also want to open things up for myself as an artist"

"If the story is exciting, it can get me on board even if I’m offered a small part, because I want to contribute to stories that I feel are important to tell"

"I like playing women I identify with"

"It’s amazing to see the extent to which we’re influenced by our appearance"

"Every time someone, but I’m thinking specifically of women, tries something they’re not sure they can do, they’re taking a risk that requires courage"

"We’ve seen stories so many times that when something is actually surprising, it’s the best gift I think you can get"

"I think I'm lucky having parents that have been in show business for a while and they don't care about the shiny stuff so much. They raised me in that way– to stay grounded, not to chase the shiny pretty things."

"I also really wanted to honor that generation of women that really were made to feel like, "This is how it is. Deal with it.""

"I do believe that it's something women have the power to do, but I do think we have yet been given the opportunity within society to actually exercise it on a massive scale. That is the reason why it’s open-ended. And I appreciate what you're saying about wanting to know and saying, "Okay, what does she do with this power?" But I wanted to really leave that question open. Is she ending a cycle or is she continuing a cycle? Is it the idea of the oppressed becoming the oppressor, or does everything change now because the woman is in charge and power is this entity?"

"There’s a difference between being cocky and knowing to trust that you know what you’re doing"

"My parents didn’t become who they are because anything was handed to them, and they didn’t raise a child who expected something to be handed to her, either"

"Why aren’t women starring in more films? It’s because the men are writing them and are the ones cutting the checks. We can’t blame them, I personally don’t think. We need to take that extra step"

"I needed someone to say, “You’re a woman now. Dress like a woman"

"My feelings don’t get hurt if the idea doesn’t come across or the idea doesn’t work"

"I sincerely believe beauty is to be found inside us"

"Sometimes we can’t show up, and that’s okay as long as we know how to communicate that we love those people."

"I was incredibly privileged"

"There have definitely been moments in my life where I’ve felt like I needed to soften my edges in some way"

"Being uncomfortable with the human body is colonization/brainwashing"

"I’m a human being. I want to fucking defend myself"

"Creativity is like this invisible thread that you find, and then knowing I’ve got the thread, I’ve just got to keep following it. It’s going to show up, and that confidence is where the good shit is"

"my instinct is always to say [to myself], ‘It’s not mine"

"The point of being alive is to experience life and play with it"

"I’m proud of where I come from. Now it’s nice to be in a place where I feel like when people ask me about my parents, I’m not like, ‘Let’s not talk about that.’ I’m like, ‘They’re awesome. I’m grateful to be their child. And I’m also my own human being"

"I’ve always felt very in touch with my masculine side"

"The fact that people don’t think what they say affects a celebrity because [they’re] not a person to them is crazy"

"The fact that I was like, ‘Should I not have worn that?’…. No, I do what I want to do, and I make what I want to make, and if I start being afraid of what other people are going to say or think, I’m no longer doing my job as an artist. I’m not experiencing the world and putting that into art. I’m walking on eggshells. Fuck that. So, I needed to take a minute"

"Yes, I was raised by my pops. I think it made me super strong, maybe too strong at times. I remember I was the only kid who didn't cry for their mommy at sleepovers. Which turned into not really needing anyone. Which made it hard to date me. Every guy always cried long before I ever did in a relationship. I'm so lucky I met someone who could handle me. My husband changed me for the better, but he loves me for the tough bitch I am. If he's not happy, even for a moment, I will totally cry."

"I started DJ-ing about eight years ago. I used to hang in the DJ booth with DJ AM a lot and he really inspired me. I loved watching how happy he was while making other people so happy as he dropped each track. He really was my inspiration and my motivation. He was the one that told me I could do it. Paris actually hired me to DJ all of her record release parties around the world. This was before it was "cool" to be a chick DJ. We actually had a lot of fun."

"REAL women don’t bully other women."

"Growing up in L.A., for me, was a lot different than you’d think. I was the daughter of a hardworking pizza man who ended up kickin’ it with the rich kids. I lived in Malibu because we opened a D'Amore's pizza there. I'd make just enough money delivering pizzas so I could pay for gas and valet at the hottest clubs. I worked to party. I must have been fired from D'Amore's 100 times. But being the owner’s daughter had perks. And, of course, free pizza for life, so I never starved."

"My mother contracted the AIDS virus when I was very young by the doctors at the hospital. They gave her a precautionary blood transfusion and did not check the blood they gave her. It was a total fluke. I was lied to for 15 years about it. I always thought she died from toxic shock. I was very angry that my father lied to me, but I now understand that he just did not want the stigma of the disease to affect my friendships at school. As we all know, kids can be mean, and my father was trying to protect us. The stigma of this disease has always been something I'd like to help remove. Anyone at any time can contract this disease, gay, straight, a mom of four with no drug history. Anyone. Everyone needs to educate themselves on how to be protected and also about how to discuss this disease without adding to the stigma. It shaped my outlook on life by reminding me that life is so precious and can be very short. Live life to the fullest, but be smart and take care of yourself."

"Ask your employees questions and ask for their opinions. Empower them to feel ownership. When they love what they do and how they're treated— you'll see results. I like working with people that can teach me something that benefits the business. People willing to do more than just what's required to get the job done."