Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Anyone who knows me knows what I'm about - how much I'm into empowerment, equal rights and everyone just loving themselves.
I run away from super-bandage-style Herve Leger dresses. I think it's sexier for a woman to be in something sheer and loose.
Will Smith is one of my favorite actors, and he's also a triple threat. He successfully crossed over from music into acting.
I want to be someone who is a great representation of a black woman in Hollywood, a black woman in the entertainment industry.
I can't understand artists that don't want to perform and, like, get on stage and do their songs for all their fans every night.
I completely took off my eyebrows one time for a screen test. I hadn't even gotten the role yet. So you have to have a commitment.
I don't feel like I necessarily juggle. I just feel like I'm focusing on being a singer/actor. That's what I am, and it's what I do.
'Blade' was amazing; I can't imagine the character without Wesley Snipes. He just made a long, black leather trench coat look so cool.
Even if you throw your hair up in a quick topknot or ponytail, you can add instant polish by wearing a headband or bejeweled barrette.
I hope to do multiple characters throughout my life that are separate from me. I think it's a cop-out if you play yourself in everything.
I'm still somebody that listens to a lot of James Brown, a lot of The O'Jays, a lot of TLC... in that era, producers had more musicianship.
When you're changing your diet, or you're becoming a vegan, your system will become a bit more sensitive, and you just have to deal with it.
There's not one day that goes by that I'm not listening to one of my songs or in rehearsal for one of my songs or dancing to one of my songs.
I'm somebody who listens to a lot of funk, a lot of James Brown, and I want to be somebody who contributes all that energy to the mainstream.
I'm happy when I have, like, one fan, but the fact that I'm getting fans from different places and different communities, it's really amazing.
I'm more of a tough girl, and I'm attracted to things that reflect that in my perfumes. That means sandalwood, musk, amber, and vanilla notes.
I'm an activist. I'm a proud activist. So I want to be someone who is pro-black and pro-Africa and still be somebody that has positive influence.
If you're a boxer, you have your trainer. As an actor, I have Ivana Chubbuck. She's my teacher as an actress and in this crazy thing called life.
It's important for me to just be myself - in fashion. A lot of people overlook that side of me because they're scared of it, but that's just who I am.
I think magazines and interviews make celebrities into this bigger-than-life thing, but I've gotten bullied over trying different things with my makeup.
There's a common misconception that you don't need SPF during the grey winter months, but it's so important to protect skin from UVA/UVB rays year-round.
There's not enough black films out there. There's not enough Latin films, or films that have an Asian, Indian or Middle Eastern lead. The list goes on and on.
I have more of a desire to write songs about being an independent woman than being in love, songs about getting up and moving on even if I have a broken heart.
I found my style and how I like to do makeup from trying and failing and trying and failing again, and unfortunately, I had to do it publicly to figure it out.
I wanted to be the first female, young teenager producer, and it didn't happen. And when it finally did happen, I was shelved because I was signed to Warner Bros.
To me, success is making a positive difference through art - making art that affects the world and that changes the way people feel about themselves and the world.
I like the idea of being so passionate about everything I do and the fact that I might wake up tomorrow and say 'I want to be a chef,' and just pour myself into that.
If I have an audition, I go to the audition in character. I'm in character when I walk in the room. I mean, I'm still sweet to everyone, but I'm very much the character.
I don't want to be alone at 80 years old, dripping in diamonds - having never helped anyone. That's not my path. That's not what I care about. That's not what excites me.
It's really important, especially for young girls, to see that if you fall down, you get back up. If you get sick, you get back up. People are going to say what they want.
When people are like, 'What do you think of this vampire craze?' - well, I don't really feel like it ever ended, personally, 'cause I've always been into them, like 'Underworld.'
'Roxbury Drive' was the street I grew up on as a little kid, and it was the street that I first listened to records on, and where I actually really first fell in love with music.
There was a time when men thought it was sexy to have a housewife waiting for him to come home from work in her slippers, but in modern society, I think an independent woman is even more sexy.
If a boy messes up, you walk away. If a boy isn't treating you right, you walk away. It sounds simpler than it is, but you can't allow yourself to be disrespected. You have to be a strong girl.
I've always been involved with charities and things like that, but when I started communicating with the fans and hearing their stories about the lives they lead, it really made an impact on me.
When I see other working actresses that are brown, I get so excited. I get so excited when I see Zoe Kravitz, Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson, Ava Duvernay, and all these beautiful women working.
The hardest thing as somebody who does both is - and I'm very serious as an actor, and I consider myself very serious as a musician, engineer, music artist - is learning that it's OK to be versatile.
I just want get to as high as I can go. I think that's the safest and most politically correct thing I can say. I'm not trying to take anyone's spot. I want to create my own lane and shoot to the sky.
It's so important to get your skin to look even, whether it's with a MAC Cosmetics glow, a Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, or even just a solid foundation. Start off with a good prep and a good primer.
I have more of a desire to write songs about being an independent woman than being in love, songs about getting up and moving on even if I have a broken heart. 'Wanna Say' is one of the few love songs I've ever done.
When you're an entertainer, it's hard not to compare yourself with the next person's success. But you have to trust your own journey and your strengths and believe in yourself. I think that's the best place to start.
I love to add '90s trends mixed with modern day pieces I find along my many travels. Like these cool fun hats from Europe I have. I love to collect different ones from every country. I have them from London to Brussels.
Sometimes what I think what the news is missing is the human element, the connection - the moment that you look into a little girl's eyes or a father who has just left his family and risked everything just to try and survive.
I think that with 'The Vampire Diaries,' you never know what's going to happen, and I don't think the characters necessarily know, either. So you can only weigh so much, and then it might just come down to 'kill or be killed.'
I think a lot of young girls see actresses, and they think of red carpets, and they think of 'Us Weekly,' and they don't really think about the breaking down of a script and what that requires and what you would need to pull it off.
Water for People is a non-profit international organization that brings together communities, entrepreneurs, governments - people - to create solutions that empower people to maintain their own reliable water systems and sanitation.
Will Smith is one of my favorite actors, and he's also a triple threat. He successfully crossed over from music into acting. Also, I liked 'I Am Legend' because it was so unexpected. The movie wasn't what I thought it'd turn out to be.
When you get bullied, you automatically think that you're the reason why you're getting bullied. The reality is, it's about them, not you... I'm all about blocking people. I'm all about saying, 'You know what, I don't need this in my life.'
In 10 years, I don't really know what I'll be, and I like not having any idea. I like the idea of being so passionate about everything I do and the fact that I might wake up tomorrow and say 'I want to be a chef,' and just pour myself into that.
I think with girlfriends, you always want your girlfriends to make the decisions for themselves, not based on a boy, not based on anything other than, 'Is this what you want?' Is this you know what you want to do?' And that's real support to me.