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You know, the record business is much different than being artist on stage.

Compared to a lot of artists, I'm usually quite covered up in videos and photo shoots.

Believe it or not, most people think of me as a recording artist, but actually the way I think of myself and the way I earn my living is as a performing artist.

I've made my records and I've done all the interviews. I've done lots of long tours. I've made stupid videos. I've done all that stuff and learned all the lingo and gone to radio stations and shmoozed with DJs on the air and met retail people.

When I got into the music industry, I wasn't focused on being the most famous artist or even getting a major record deal. It was just to make music on my own terms or create my own image, do my own hair, do my own makeup.

Music is a hobby, because I'm not making any money out of it, but I put just as much conviction into that as I do into my acting.

Having this other career in music made me work harder as an actress. It's made me more professional.

If I think about the way I was drawn into the music, it was much more by recordings than by live performances.

I prefer career artists that have spent time honing their craft, as opposed to, 'I won a karaoke contest on a reality show and now I have a record.' That's such a drag. The music that comes out of it is so poor.

While I used to make my living principally as a record producer, as time went on, I had to depend more and more on my live performances because of the evolution of the record industry, which has de-emphasized what made it possible to make a living.