Aesthetically, London is just beautiful; it's a gorgeous city. The architecture, monuments, the parks, the small streets - it's an incredible place to be.Collection: Architecture
The greatest thing we can do is to give each other a safe space to truly, truly be ourselves in the world.Collection: Space
I have been influenced by many different artists at many different stages of my life. Starting out, it was people like Elton John, Billy Joel, Ben Folds, and Fiona Apple. As I got older I got deeper into the work of bands like the Beatles, artists like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Etta James, and Joni Mitchell.
I wasn't Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson. I wasn't Tori Amos or Norah Jones. Nobody knew what to do with me.
If you take your fear and mash it into something that's actually useful, then it doesn't feel like it wins.
I feel like my songs are like diary entries for me. So I usually write about things that have happened to me specifically or sometimes it can be someone who's close to me.
I've been told to wear different things, to look different, to lose weight, to look sexier, to wear more hair, to wear more makeup.
My hairstylist taught me a trick for my hair. You section off your hair and put them up in these crazy little knots and then it looks like you curled your hair. It's saved me so much time 'cause on the road you don't have time or plugs to plug your curling iron in.
The women in my family are all super-emotional. The catchphrase in our family is 'Listen to my words, not my tears.'
I never played coffee shops; I just played a lot of coffee shop-sized venues. I took every venue I could get my hands on.
I'm never gonna be somebody who's gonna fall down from the sky on a trapeze. That's not me. I really want to make sure that my focus stays on connecting with the audience.
Nobody ever thinks a song is about them. Well, not when it's mean. When it's a good song everybody thinks it's about them. And when it's mean, nobody thinks it's about them.
I think I have some anger-management issues, and they end up coming out in these passive-aggressive songs that sound happy.
I have been very fortunate to be a part of tours with other artists that have exposed me to new places that I've never been before. Once you discover something beautiful, you just want to keep coming back.
I would like to look back on my body of work and be proud of each record in its own right, but as a whole, I want to continue to grow and move forward.
One of the great things I learned from how cooperative theater is, you can't be too precious about your ideas.
I'm such a fan of the Obamas in general, and I love how dignified and charismatic and how intelligent they are. They are so warm and kind and encouraging, especially of young people, and I really love seeing that.
Stepping back into theatre, a childhood dream, I always felt like I would be onstage. I hadn't imagined myself in a composer role... I find it so satisfying to be behind the scenes and writing the music and watching it elevated and characterized by different voices than my own. It's so exciting.
My life is so different because of 'Waitress.' The people that I'm close to, the things I do professionally, my colleagues, my best friend and my boyfriend - like, all of these things have come to me because of the show. And it's really beautiful.
I'm a social person, and I'm used to working as a band member. I like that. I like being a part of a family onstage and on the road.
Everything I do will always be compared to 'Love Song' in terms of success or the way it's written or whatever, but it was a really formative moment in my life and in my career.
I have spent my whole career worrying that the big bad pop monster was going to eat me when I wasn't looking.
With musical theatre, although there are rules, they're so different to the ones I feel like I have accidentally been ingrained with writing pop music. The main point is to tell the story. You just have to make sure the character's voice is strong and the storytelling is strong.
Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out honestly.Collection: Fall
True bravery is being exactly who you are, imperfections included. Vulnerability is the most precious gift you can give.Collection: Giving
I feel like I'm on the precipice - just seeing a better version of me coming out.Collection: Coming Out
The most powerful place you can come from is just having a really deep knowing of who you are and what you want for yourself.Collection: Powerful
Just speak your truth, it's an important cornerstone of how your life ends up sort of unfolding in front of you. Even if it's painful, if it's honest, it's going to bring you to the place you deserve to be.Collection: Important
It'd be a shame to stop now that I've started to make really good mistakesCollection: Mistake