We need to stop separating ourselves by how dark or how light we are.

Whether it be in acting, music, or even in dancing, I only want to do things that I truly connect to, and with my music, it’s everything that I am.

My father’s a deacon, my mother’s a choir director, so I grew up in the church and singing in the choir, begging my mom if I could have a solo.

I have a few celebrity friends, but I’m really not into the whole Hollywood scene. I like to separate myself from my work. It stresses me out if I do too much of the same.

Whatever my situation is, I want to show that I’m not perfect, and perfect isn’t real. The youth need to know that, especially.

I can’t work all day and then go home and hang out with the same people. I don’t want everything to revolve around the entertainment business. Yes, that’s my career, but it’s not my life.

Comedians like to see people smile. With acting, I love giving people a feeling, an emotion. I like to give people a feeling. When they come away from my scene, I want them to think.

I don’t curl my hair. In fact, I don’t know how to.

Some of my favorite style icons are Kate Moss and Rihanna, except I’m a little bit younger. I put a little bit more teenage into it.

I’m totally normal. I love watching movies and hanging out with my friends at my house. I still go to the mall; I love to text and go on my computer. I’m totally normal –...

I can dance. I like hip hop and stuff and jazz movements, but I’m horrible in ballet. I tried.

I love clothes! I shop everywhere, but I like Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus. It’s a wide range. I’m from California, and I love the Pasadena Flea Market.

People that want to be in the tabloids will get into the tabloids. I just stay home and don’t go out much. My personality is not an introvert, but that’s how I am as far...

I love being in the studio. Expressing myself that way is really cool.

Someday I would really love to do a talk show. That’s something I’ve always been interested in. I like to talk, and I love to help people.

I’ve never really had a first date! Well, I had kind of a first date. I went out with this kid. We went ice skating, but it was not fun. It was so terrible that...

You have to understand that when things go wrong in your life, it doesn’t mean you need to quit. It means you need to get stronger and change your plan.

I was bullied a lot as a kid in school from kindergarten up to third grade. I know what it feels like to be left out and to want to be different – more so,...

I can’t even tell anyone how it feels when I’m acting, I don’t mean to say that I don’t have to try. But there’s something in my heart that explodes, and I feel like I...

I love music and I love acting. I always keep that in the forefront, not all the other distractions around me.

You can do anything as long as you don’t stop believing. When it is meant to be, it will be. You just have to follow your heart.

You’re going to have to speak up for yourself – and I learned that after always being, for lack of a better word, crapped on.

Corbin Bleu was my first kiss in life. I was 12, and he was, like, my first kiss for TV… It was on the lips!

I would like to do a music person’s story, a bio. I’ve wanted to do Aaliyah forever. But I don’t want it to always be like, ‘I’m singing again in a movie.’

I love competing. I love a challenge. I love going in and showing people what I can do, proving to them that I can get this part, that I can give you what you want.

I never try to be too sexy. People know when you’re not comfortable and trying to be sexy.

I think people should have fun. And don’t get so down on yourself. Enjoy life and be the best person you can be.

I didn’t come from a lot. I had a lot of love and support from my family, but as far as money and that type of thing, I didn’t really have any of that. All...

Follow your heart’s truth with no need for personal gain other than the feeling produced when doing what you truly love.

I’m a mash-up of everyone. My influences would be Michael Jackson, Brandy, Aaliyah – those types of people. So if you can imagine them – and with me taking them, and then putting my own...

I’m happy with who I am inside. I’d hate to have accolades and all that and not really be happy with who I was. So I’m really thankful for my family and for the support...

I sometimes want to do totally different roles. I don’t always want to play ‘wholesome.’

I’m a workaholic, so I ignore the signs of fatigue and just keep going and going, and then conk out when I get home. It can be pretty stressful.

I love singing and I love performing and just making things perfect.

I always try to set a positive example for my generation and promote confidence.

I’ve been able to stay good because of my family and keeping God first. If you don’t have God in your life, how are you going to navigate through this world?

Real faith is when you believe in something that you can’t see. When things are going really bad and you can still get up and say I believe that they’re gonna get better, that there’s...

Singing was my first passion. Whenever I sing, I’m always so happy.

Giving back, doing motivational speeches and stuff like that, that’s always made me feel good. If you repeatedly go out there, and you are the change that you want to see, then that’s what you...

There’s not always going to be something out there for you, especially not a positive role, so once you get up there and start being well known, you can’t just think projects will come to...

You should never look at somebody and say, ‘I wish I had their life,’ because you never really know what struggles they’re going through.

The music industry is something that I’m still trying to understand. With acting, I’ve been doing it for so long that I understand every aspect of it for the most part – there are obviously...

When I was a kid, people people would always say, ‘Oh you look like Chilli from TLC.’ It wasn’t until I did ‘Akeelah and the Bee’ that people started saying I looked like Angela Bassett,...

Urban Outfitters – I love it. It’s almost like Forever 21, but for, like, the to 25-year-old girl, getting a little bit older.

When I was, like, 5 years old, I used to pray to have light skin because I would always hear how pretty that little light skin girl was, or I would hear I was pretty...

Actually, Keke is my nickname. When I was little, my sister was about four years old, and she had an imaginary friend named Keke. And she wanted my name to be Keke.

Working with Ice Cube was so tight. He’s cool, and I really like how he does family stuff. My guy friends couldn’t believe I was chillin’ with him. Dudes love Ice Cube.

I definitely want to play someone who’s inspired me. I would love to play Aaliyah; it would be personal because I love her so much.

My parents are my role models. All they’ve done for me, they’re just major people in my life. They’ve stood by me and got me where I am today.

When people think of me initially, they remember me as ‘Akeelah.’ Sometimes it can be frustrating to be remembered at an age that you’ve outgrown.