"I was not really of the barrio, but the barrio was an important part of my life. Spanish was my first language; Engli…"

"Deep in my psyche, I am no different than any American—I have a greater command of their language than they do. I am …"

"When I was a child, poverty was a common suffering for everybody around me. A common suffering is a richness in itself."

"Music is my first love. Ever since I was a little girl I've dreamt of one day being lucky enough to share my music wi…"

"Lyrics to me are of utmost importance and they mean so much to me — in every song that I write, the lyrics have to co…"

"I've dedicated myself to ensuring that every word that I say, everything I write, every role that I play … I know tha…"

"We just need to normalise our hearts' not having boundaries. I think that there's this idea that we as public figures…"

"I'm a young Latina woman growing up in a primarily white area of town where I live. I've been called it all. My hate …"

"It's the most jarring feeling as someone who is quite literally in therapy for impostor syndrome. You're sitting at t…"

"When I was in the running for María in 'West Side Story,' they kept calling to ask if I was legit. I remember thinkin…"