BE: What was it like for you when you received your first big check?
[I] was more excited about the fact that I was able to share and do what I wanted to do. “Sing and Dance†was my first thing on the People’s Choice Awards, and I was just so excited to be a part of that and perform in front of so many people. I never really looked at the check and thought ‘Oh my God!’ I don’t think I ever dreamt of being rich, I just dreamt of being a star, being on stage and singing with a band. It’s been more about the love for me than anything else.
BE: Even though you don’t remember your reaction to your first check, do you remember the first things you bought?
I was about 11 or 12 when I received my first check, so I was really into Hello Kitty. I went and spent a lot of money on that.
BE: You’ve conquered everything from music to movies to your own TV show. Is there anything that you’re involved in outside of the industry such as charities or youth organizations?
I am going to start my own charity. I love kids and I love the woman. I want to have a unity with women, and I feel like I can be a voice for them. I just have to find the right people to help me put that together, but that is defiantly something I want to do.
BE: Do you have any idea of what you would want to call your charity?
I don’t have an idea of what I want to call it yet, but when you search for the idea it never comes. It comes when you’re just chilling. My mind is definitely in the right place with the project.
BE: What tips would you give to young artists who are coming out and have hopes of building an empire like yours?
I would have to say first, just know who you are. Really develop a solid foundation because business can change you if you are not strong within yourself. Always stay true to yourself, and believe in your dreams because every person that you see that is dreaming big, or at the top of their game, they stuck with it and believed in it ’til it happened. Don’t stop, just keep going and going and going. Pretty soon you’ll get to where you want to be. Once you get to where you want to be, you’ll wanna go somewhere else.