Goapele

“I enjoy being able to do different kinds of music, not just to be eclectic but because those are all a part of me.”

“I want people to feel inspired. I want people to feel good. I want people to feel something. I want people to strive for what they want in their life, and I want them to heal from anything that's hurting them.”

“There are some parents who always have their daughter's hair whipped. Mine wasn't always like that, but I appreciate that both my parents were into me having natural hair, so they did find Anota Scott, who I was going to for my cornrows and wrapping last year and a couple years before that.”

“When I feel better looking in the mirror, it makes me feel more uplifted. I feel like what that image has been has shifted in different ways, and that's probably why I'm always changing: because I start getting bored, and I don't like feeling locked into anything.”

“Whenever I have short ,it's important for me to be inspired by people with short hair.”

“I understand it for marketing purposes, but I've always hated defining myself with a genre. Nothing feels broad enough.”

“Overall, I just wanted to release music that would take people through life's different emotions.”

“E-40 is another person I love working with because he is so entertaining.”

“'Stay' is all about how to stay in a relationship past the newness and love stronger.”

“Get a good lawyer because sometimes it's hard to understand what you might or might not be agreeing to.”

“Sometimes it's isolating, but just being in the music industry that is just dominated by men, I think it means I have to be comfortable and confident in myself and not really care that people think I'm bossy and opinionated and also try and balance that energy.”

“I think it's possible to be a great mother and have a successful career. I like that more women are doing this.”

“Instagram is a personal subscription. It's like your own personal magazine. It's like doing a photo shoot for no money, which is cool.”

“I wanted it to be back to a state where it felt like it was thriving, so I think that my hair's happiest natural, and there's that hairstyle for everyone where you feel like, 'My hair is agreeing with this,' so I just cut it off recently again, and I'm going back natural.”

“I care about a lot of social issues, and I care about fashion.”

“I don't wear that much makeup. I'll do a little concealer here and there and apply some mascara. It just depends on how I'm feeling that day, but I try and go days without makeup just because I think it's healthier for skin to breathe.”

“I'm looking to immerse myself more in the entertainment community and possibly get into doing some acting. Music is my first love, what I was most naturally drawn to and choose to study. Getting into the acting world is like a new exciting challenge.”

“Kanye and I spoke of working together and started an idea that we didn't get to finish.”

“I didn't want to be taken advantage of and burnt out in the industry. I worked with my family really closely, so I was able to get that respect in the industry. So now I feel that I can let my guard down. People know who I am; I can be myself. I can be more versatile, and I can wear what I want.”

“There are a lot of classic Goapele tracks that are obviously me. And I'm also just trying to keep evolving and grow as an artist. I've always had a wish list of producers I wanted to work with. I just wait until the feeling is mutual and go into the studio to see what we can come up with.”