I was always superthin, too skinny, actually. I felt like someone could break me in half. I realize now that being a bit more curvy and toned is so much more beautiful.
I skate a lot with my shirt off, so working out has always been important to me. I almost have as much fun working out as I do skating. And seeing your body change, and seeing yourself get bigger and more toned and cut, makes a big difference in how you feel about yourself.
My mother was my first and most important influence. When I was a little girl, she would take me shopping for pigments that flattered dark skin tones, mixing and playing until she'd created her ideal shade.
For me, saying 'I'm bossy' is a cute, tongue-in-cheek way of saying that I'm in control of my life.
I don't think all comedy should be mindless. Have something that's thoughtful. Maybe some things are tongue-in-cheek; maybe some things are very direct. I like that people have to think about things. That excites me. Because if you say certain things, it starts a dialogue. Even if you disagree, it's still a dialogue.
I come from no country, from no city, no tribe. I am the son of the road... all tongues and all prayers belong to me. But I belong to none of them.
When I need a word and do not find it in French, I select it from other tongues, and the reader has either to understand or translate me. Such is my fate.
I have a glass of alkaline water first thing. I don't have the biggest appetite in the morning, which is kind of tough for me, but I always start with a green drink called Tonic Alchemy. It's a really amazing combination drink that has a lot of different superfoods and algae and Chinese herbs.
Doing the right thing for someone else was like a tonic for me; it was like some magic ointment that made a wound disappear.
Like to me, I did the 'Harajuku' stuff. I did the crazy stuff. And now I kind of want to tone that back, and it's not toning my personality back, it's just showing like I don't only have to do that.
My fitness instructor helped me with strength training, muscle building, and toning.
It took me years to find a program that kept me in shape: Gyms felt intimidating, and women's magazines seemed tailored for toning the bodies of already trim white women.
I think it's really important to mix cardio with toning, so I love boxing and then add in Pilates or ballet to keep me long and lean and avoid bulking up.
I'm still a size 10, but it's the toning that's getting me down, and I think it can only get more difficult as I get older. Either one gets very thin and scrawny, or one puts on poundage; I'm definitely not going to pile on the pounds, so I can expect to end up scrawny.
I get tons of messages every day telling me, 'Your music has provided me with answers.'
When one teenager dying of cystic fibrosis asked me, 'Why am I different?' I answered, 'Tony, because it makes you beautiful.' He loved my answer because he knew full well how much he had done for the world and that he would be immortal through his love and the fund raising of those who knew him hoping to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.
If someone told me when I was 16 or 18 years old that I'd be doing a side project with Tony Iommi, I wouldn't have believed it.
They say I spend too much money, so they take it and put it away for me. What do I spend it on? Oh, old records and presents and things.
I was playing the piano when I was three, writing songs when I was ten. I had a lot of experience before I got to college. I knew I wanted to be a singer, so anyone who met me, I didn't let too much time pass before I showed my talent.
I never heard the Gospel until I was 18 years old. Jesus Christ... the name was synonymous to me as the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus.
