I’m extremely close to my mother.

Breakups are still uncomfortable, period, and especially when you really are in love with somebody. They are not the easiest things to deal with, and once you break up, you’re trying to get used to not being with that person.

People inspire me to write, the good ones and the bad ones.

Growing up, I always wanted to be a singer, and I’ve done that.

I have a hard time getting over an ex. Getting over an ex is just hard, period.

I think men and women will both agree that one of the perks of being single on Valentine‘s Day is that you get to keep your money in your pocket.

No matter what you go through, if it’s the truth, 9 times out of 10, somebody else has been through the same thing or is currently going through the same thing.

You always hear how female artists don’t get along, how they hate each other – but that hasn’t been my experience.

Conversation without you trying to be sexy can still come off as very sexy. Trust me!

A lot of times, you get into it with your significant other, and you feel like, ‘Oh my God, you are acting crazy.’ I’ve heard that before – I’m sure a lot of us have!

I feel like everyone has a preference. You have women who don’t like shorter guys. You have women who like taller guys. You have women who like heavier men. You have women who like smaller men. It’s the same thing with men. You have men who prefer lighter women and men who prefer darker women.

You do try to write songs that you feel like people can relate to and you try to be as honest as you can so that people hear your records and they feel like, “Oh, my god. This is exactly how I feel. I went through this.”

I feel like R&B is really based off of emotion and truth. R&B is a conversation.

I’m a perfectionist to a default. I will drive you crazy sometimes. When I’m recording, I will try something a trillion times to get it right.

I swear I pick up little gems from every artist that I work with. That’s why I’m so appreciative that I’ve been able to be a songwriter first.

I’ve had the honor to be in sessions with great artists.

You should find the dopest producer in your area, and that producer is always going to want songs written to his beat.

A lot of women want to be married and have kids one day, but before we get there, it’s so important to establish who you are, find yourself, and live in that for a minute before you become somebody’s wife and mother.

I did ‘Showtime at the Apollo‘ when I was 10, and it was the first time that I’d ever performed on TV, and it felt great.

I did Showtime at the Apollo when I was 10, and it was the first time that Id ever performed on TV, and it felt great.

I went on tour with Beyonce when I was in Rich Girl and that was… something I will tell my kids for years and years and years to come. That’s like saying, ‘I toured with Michael Jackson.’ That will be something I will forever cherish.

Writing for yourself is like exposing your diary. It can be a little embarrassing at times, but if it helps somebody get through the day just by hearing a song, it’s well worth it.

I would love to do a record with Usher.

I just want to give people the best album that I possibly can.

For me to give my advice to somebody who’s thinking about going back to an ex or keeps on going back to their ex, you’ll know when you’re done. You’ll know when you’re finished with that person. You’ll know when you’re over them and ready to move, but nobody else can tell you that.

Honestly, I think dating is hard. Period.

If I’m writing for a particular artist, I definitely think about their past records, pay attention to the type of tempos that they like. If I have the privilege of actually being in the session with the artist, I just like to have a conversation with them.

I love Janet Jackson.

Every year of my life, my dad has sent me a Valentine’s Day gift. Whether I was in the same house or across the country, he always sent something.

One thing that was really dope for me was that my dad had a ’78 Corvette, ’78 or ’76 Corvette all my life. It always needed to be fixed up. I remember it’s just been sitting in the driveway for years, and I got it fixed from top to bottom for his birthday.