In the '80s, there was a fixed costume of a heroine, and not the physical costume, but this is what a heroine is, she is an art prop. She will look beautiful, support the hero, dance, get saved by hero. I didn't ever aim to go there.
I wouldn't want to do a Bollywood film per se, but I would like to do an Indian-language film. For some reason I think Bollywood has become synonymous with commercial cinema, which is song and dance and everything that is larger than life, and I am interested in the reality.
When I think of Bollywood dance, I think of choreographies from the '70s and '80s. That was true Bollywood, what is now known as old school Bollywood.
I like Hindi movies. Although my wife thinks the hero and heroine breaking into a song and dance every five minutes is ridiculous, but I find them entertaining.
I love that Moana is a heroine, and I hope people take that away, and that you most certainly can be the heroine, or hero, of your own story.
There's probably a couple someones that are gonna hear the songs and go, 'I think that might have been about me,' or, 'I know it's about me.' I do play that pretty close to the vest. I don't think I'm ever gonna write a song and drop somebody's name in it.
I have a notebook that I take with me everywhere. I free-write in it when there are situations that I know I can write a song about. I will just start writing everything that I can think of while trying to write some things that are kind of poetic or sound like they could be in a song. Then, after the music is written, I go back and look at my subjects to see which one I think woud go with what music. Then, I formulate it into a melody and get the song.
When I recorded 'Sun,' I wanted to do something with more of a modern sound. I've never done anything like it, and it was fun for me to sing, but I'm not really a dance person per se. However, I would love to hear that song in the club. I think it's a really good dance song.
I think you should do Bollywood once you are all into your own market. Doing a Bollywood song for a particular actor or producer, you should be known in the world outside of Bollywood music.
I think we're going to care more about Americans than Africans. I don't think that's ever going to go away, and I don't think it's ever going to go away that people care more about their families than strangers, and their communities over other communities. But I think it would transform the world in such a good way if we could just acknowledge, at least intellectually, that an African life and an American life are the same.
I'm sure I will play the typical Hindi film heroine and have my song and dance routines in future.
I think that once you become a parent, you cease to think of yourself as a hero or heroine.
On OTT, it's not about her or heroine, every single character is powerful and a hero, heroine in their own space.
I would say a great song [is where] you like everything in the song. The lyrics move you, the beat makes you want to dance and you feel invincible when you listen to that song. A good song I think you can listen to but you get tired of it really fast.
If I hear another line dance song I think I'm going to puke.
I don't think drag will ever be mainstream because it's counter to what the mainstream directive is, which is picking an identity and sticking with it for the rest of your life.