I listened to a lot of Amy Winehouse: her albums 'Frank' and 'Back to Black'. She was such an incredible artist. She was just so raw and had her unique sound; she paired jazz with pop and was so soulful at the same time. So I pulled from her a lot in the beginning.
When I'm playing live, I'll rip out a ballad from my album, and I'll play that solo on the piano, which feels really good because it kind of takes me back to when I was younger.
My dad was the one who took me to concerts and introduced me to new artists. One time, he drove me from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., on a school night to see 'U2' - he was a pretty dedicated Bono fan.
I would like to work with Ed Sheeran at some point. I really admire his songwriting, and I just think he has a great voice and great artistry. Who else? On the producer side of things, definitely Diplo: that'd be awesome.
I feel like I get all the good parts of college, cause I just college hop on the weekends and party with them, but I don't have to do any of the school part or the work part.
It was like I was Hannah Montana! I was a normal girl from Pittsburgh one minute and then a pop star the next!
People should be allowed to roll out of bed and go to an interview; people shouldn't be telling you, 'You can't curse because it's not ladylike.' I don't believe in those standards.
I think Labrinth is an amazing writer and an amazing singer. His voice is just so magnetic. There are so many people that I would work with inside and outside of pop.
First Lady Michelle Obama - I admire her confidence, integrity, intelligence, compassion, and her overall vibe - she is such an inspiration.
I'm always working on new projects.
I'm on the road constantly. I'm a nomad. I don't really have a home right now. I don't identify with one place in particular.
I used to daydream in class about what it'd be like to be a singer. It's what I wanted to be ever since I was little, but I never knew if it'd happen or not. I was just a normal girl who was doing all the things teenagers do, but on the side, I was attending music camps and going to songwriting sessions.
I am still very independent in my real life, and that's why I'm always trying to get out of relationships prematurely.
I will wear makeup because I want to look good for myself, but it's not to please other people. It's not so I fit in with the pretty girls or to impress guys.
Girls shouldn't be afraid to look messy. They shouldn't have to always fit in with the pretty girls. Our goal as women is not to impress guys.
I was invited to L.A. when I was 16 for a weekend-long songwriting session by a writer I had met through my voice teacher in Pittsburgh. My first hit, 'Hide Away,' was one of the songs written during those sessions. It was played for a radio rep who then started a new label; the song got a pretty organic start at radio and then took off.
I have been taking voice and singing lessons since age 10 and originally got into it because I was really interested in musical theater. After writing my first couple of songs and performing at age 14, I knew that I really wanted to be a singer.
I've always just kind of been a single-minded person.
