I've had more misrepresentations than I can handle, and people have told the wickedest lies about me. A lot of them have taken their frustrations out on me, and I don't like that because it can wound. Not necessarily me, but those around me. Journalists can be so bad.
I was a go-go dancer, too. I called myself 'Grace Mendoza' to fool my parents.
Shock always sells. You know? But you could shock in good taste.
I am not a diva: I am a Jones. 'Diva' is so overused. Diva, icons, the whole thing, legends... To be a diva, what is that?
I didn't think I had a voice at all, and I still think of myself as an interpreter of songs more than a singer. I thought it was too deep; people thought I was a man. I had a very strong Jamaican accent, too; the accent really messed me up for auditions.
I like to isolate myself when I work because I end up losing my voice by doing interviews all day.
I was the only black girl at my junior high school. I had an afro, a Jamaican accent, I looked really old.
I'm not as impatient as I used to be. I used to hit people if I didn't like what they were saying. Just lash out. 'Bam - shut up! Hahahah!' I was terrible.
I like dressing like a guy. I love it. When I was modeling I used to do pictures where I would dress up like my little brother. No makeup, and I looked like a boy.
Hiding, secrets, and not being able to be yourself is one of the worst things ever for a person. It gives you low self-esteem. You never get to reach that peak in your life. You should always be able to be yourself and be proud of yourself.
When I started modelling, I'd raise my arms and it was all muscle and all the other models had nothing. Really, everybody thought I was a man. I don't have to do much to have muscles. It's just genetic.
When I was modelling, I spent half my life staring at thousands of perfect reflections. It got to a stage where I was losing all sense of reality - so after I quit modelling, I took all the mirrors out of my house.
I don't think 'pop' should mean that you had no talent.
I would have rebelled against parental authority, no matter what. When I was 15, I started painting my face and making my own clothes.
I like to think of myself as a positive person. Otherwise I wouldn't have had a child.
This is what I would say to my pupil: 'You have become only your fame and left behind most of who you were. How are you going to deal with that? Will you lose that person forever? Have you become someone else without really knowing it? Do you always have to stay in character for people to like you? Do you know that you are in character?'.
I've turned down millions of dollars to go on reality TV. It's an absolute no-go.
Religion has stayed with me even though I rebelled.
I'm always rebelling. I don't think I'll ever stop.
You don't do oysters and red wine together. That's a no-no; you just don't do that. I love a nice white wine with oysters.
