I work hard and I will always work hard. But I feel very lucky with the way that it has all come together. I still have my hands and I can still write songs. I still have my body and I can still dance. I owe God so much because things are going so well.

At my ballet school [The School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center], I wasn?t strong enough to deal with all the things that didn't involve ballet. Now I?m a little more comfortable with myself. If I was in school with the head I have now, I would be fine. But I was too young. It was extremely intense. The music industry is so easy compared to the ballet world. People ask if I am having a hard time and I am like, ?No, it?s great!? Try and take a class with one of my teachers and then you?ll know. But my relationship with ballet is healed and I?ve started dancing again - which is great.

"Be Not Nobody" is where I am at in my life right now. I know I'm only 21 but I had to go through a lot at that dance school. I lost a lot of who I was. I fell apart and it was really hard. You feel completely alone, like no one cares. Writing this record let me recapture who I am. It is summed up in the title Be Not Nobody. You need to feel comfortable in your skin and do whatever you need to do for yourself, to heal or to grow.

My songs are a direct route into my brain and my heart. Sometimes it's scary to put [the music] out there. When I first started writing I was like, ?No I can?t sing this to you.? The songs were like my diary. Now, performing is second nature and I love every second of it. It is a very emotional thing when I can?t play a song; maybe I?m hitting on something that I don?t want to deal with. All of it is so personal. It is like therapy.