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History is written by the winners. My job as an artist is to speak up for those who might be perceived as the losers. Or those who can't shout.

I have a more direct avenue to expression as an artist than I ever would as a politician.

I am an artist... I am here to live out loud.

As an artist I come to sing, but as a citizen, I will always speak for peace, and no one can silence me in this.

I'm really interested in social justice, and if an artist has a certain power of being heard and voicing something important, it's right to do it. It could still be done in such a way that it's not aggressive or overly didactic. I'm trying to find that form.

Nowadays, people in the entertainment industry can have a louder voice than politicians, and I think it's important that they use that voice to say something positive or to give a voice to somebody that's had theirs taken away.

Shouting at people keeps you alive, healthy, young, fresh.

There's not really too many artists that young girls and young people can look up to and be inspired by. So I take it as my responsibility, sometimes, to be the person who has the voice to give people some truth about what we're doing.

Artists speak the truth to the public without fear of retribution or damage to their careers.

So much of my career has been about saying things the way people say them, using melodies not that I can sing but that the people can sing.