TESSANNE CHIN

I can work my butt off and create an album that's wonderful, but if it's never played and never given the outlet, it won't succeed.

I think on stage there's a side of me that comes out that's very fierce and confident.

I really hold on to my culture because it is what made me.

It's lovely to be recognized in your own country, but I feel that there's more.

I think a lot of my dreams have come true, and my next dream is to have a No. 1 selling album. A Grammy-award-winning album.

A great song is a great song.

A great song is one that is around even when I'm not.

I want to make the music that people remember, and it doesn't need a trend; it doesn't need to be constantly hyped. There's no time period for it. That's the type of music I want to make.

I get extremely nervous before performances. I pray and try to look at it as, 'I'll go out there and have fun,' but it's very nerve-wracking for me. I don't think that will ever change.

Being born in Jamaica, race was never an issue. It was always about the type of person I wanted to be, not the colour of my skin.

I think a part of being successful or trying to be successful is staying true to who you are. Be genuine.

Music for me is not just being on a stage and singing. It's my coping mechanism.

I do have very solid reggae roots based on the fact that I'm Jamaican, and so that is a part of myself; even if I never do all reggae, it has to come out in some way because that's who I am.

Till this day, people stop me in the supermarket, and they're like, 'Oh, we're so proud of you!'

What I love about Beyonce is she's not a slave to a genre of music.

When you talk about me having a favorite singer, it's Celine. She is not only one of the most amazing singers, but she is just an amazing person.

There is always something wonderful about a live audience.

I think anything I do will have an island feel, but I don't want it to be just that; I don't want to be put in a box.

I think when you are a cool guy but also a hot guy, that makes you even more sexy.

I just want to be a wife.

My mom always said if you have a gift, it is absolutely not about you. So I don't get twisted and think for one second it's all about me.

I can put in Bob Marley's music now, and it's still relevant.

I want to make an album with just great beats and big vocals and just amazing lyrics.

Own the stage, command the stage, and don't be afraid to be the best you can be.

Off stage, I'm very quiet and very reserved and kind of shy.