Mary Lambert

“To be honest, I used to hate shopping. I rarely left a store without crying, cursing my body, and swearing under my breath at the fashion industry.”

“My mom, grandma, great-grandma - we're all named Mary, and we all play piano and sing.”

“I came out when I was 17. I was in the church; I was crying every Sunday for about a year. I came to terms with the fact with this is who I was - I wasn't going to be able to be a different person. At 17, you feel like a freak already, and so to have that fire and brimstone against your attraction is just screwed up!”

“Just because you're not thin does not mean you're ugly. You are beautiful because of the light you carry inside you. You are beautiful because you say you are, and you hold yourself that way.”

“Gay rights and body acceptance are two things I feel very passionately about.”

“I remember when I heard 'Jessie's Girl' for the first time, I was like, 'This is so applicable to lesbians!'”

“I have a big thing with eye contact, because I think as soon as you make eye contact with somebody, you see them, and they become valued and worthy.”

“As I got older, I fell in love with Radiohead, and 'OK Computer' is one of my favorite albums of theirs. Sonically, the tone of the guitars on tracks like 'Electioneering' just rips right through me.”

“Yes, I would loved to have just sustained myself through my art, but less than one in a billion musicians gets that life. So rather than being like, 'I'm an exception!', like a moron, I thought I'd get a real job.”

“That's why fame freaks me out in a lot of ways - because how genuine of a connection can you have when you're a commodity, and a conversation with you means bragging rights? That's terrifying to me.”

“If people can find something that they love about themselves after going to one of my shows, then I am so addicted to that feeling. It's the most gratifying thing on earth.”

“The thing I really love about my fans is the vulnerability and openness, the crying and the hugs. They are so kind.”

“Before I got on full-time medication, I believed that my mental disorder was the reason I could create so much and create well, because it made me crazy. I could go to these dark places and then come out of it and just be human again.”

“I think no matter how you think about your music, you're ultimately in the music 'business.' I think you have to be business-minded in some sense. And for me, the real goal... is positive intention and social change through music. It doesn't mean that can't turn a profit.”

“I've always had a little bit of darkness, and I've always been someone who was grieving. I had kind of had a tumultuous upbringing living in an abusive home, so for me, writing has always been a point of catharsis.”

“I know how I want to operate as an artist. And that is by having an honest, genuine dialogue about this kind of screwed up journey I've had that I'm so thankful for.”

“I want to go to Italy and France; those are my two places. And I really want to go to Greece. I've seen so many pictures on Airbnb that make me think I should be living there. I could eat great salads and be on a boat.”

“I have gained so much more from my experiences of being open and loving humanity rather than being jaded and being closed-off.”

“So I want to make money. I think it's an OK goal to have. I always felt like I can't ask for that. But why not?”

“Adele shattered the image of how the stereotypical singer is supposed to look. She has that whole 'Screw you, I'm awesome for what I do' attitude, which I really look up to and want to be a part of.”