Social media is a huge struggle for my generation in general - it's a lot of pressure! Even having an Instagram is stressful. You have to make it look cool, posting it at the right time, and it's become its own job and not something where you connect with people.
— Justine Skye
It may sound corny and cliche, but there was a time - and there are still times even today - when I feel lost or confused, and I question if I'm doing the right things. Then I look at my fans, and I listen to music, and I'm reminded that this is my destiny.
Things move really fast on the Internet and get forgotten, we always want something new, even though something may have just came out.
When I first started wearing blue lipstick, it was a MAC gloss that they had. Everyone was making fun of me, and I was like, 'Watch - this is going to be cool one day.'
Life is too short to be scared and not take risks. I'd rather be the person that's like, 'I messed up,' than, 'I wish I did that.'
I'm not going to blurt out my whole life on the Internet and just be all crazy emotional. I'm not that type of person, but it's in my music.
People tend to not post when they're at their worst, but I try to be as open as I can be with my fans.
R&B was really prominent in the '90s, and we can all admit that it kind of fell off. But my generation is more in touch with our emotions - we're not afraid to show them. We're bringing that decade back.
Sometimes, people have issues, and you just wish sometimes that it could be good.
The day I do get my Roc Nation chain is going to be so much more valuable than if they gave it to me the day I signed. You have to earn it.
I love jerk chicken. I could literally eat it every single day of my life. I also like curry goat, rice and peas, and ackee and saltfish. For some reason, no one ever taught me how to cook, though. They've always cooked for me!
When I was 16, I started to spend a lot of time in Soho and downtown New York and noticed everyone's style and the eclectic things people would wear. And that's when I started to experiment with things like my lipstick and mixing different kinds of pieces and, of course, my hair color.
My mom is an entertainment attorney, and she brought me to a BMI panel for people who were interested in becoming artists. While I was there, her friends kept peer pressuring me to go and sing in front of everyone because I was a very, very shy girl.
What inspires me is the relationships and situations I find myself in as I grow and learn.
When it comes to '90s R&B, I grew up on a lot of Aaliyah and Destiny's Child, Missy Elliott, Usher, Jill Scott. Whatever my mom was playing in the house is what I was listening to.
I get nervous every single time. It doesn't matter if there're five people or five thousand. What I have noticed is that the more people there are, the less nervous I am. It's way harder to impress five people.
I'm obsessed with Minnie Riperton's voice: it's like a smooth river of ice cold strawberry milk.
One of the biggest things I struggle with is people's opinions. As much as I would like to say that I don't care, I see those comments. And sometimes it affects you more than others, or may completely change your mood.
I shift between Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat probably 250 times a day, which probably isn't healthy, but I'm unfortunately addicted.
No one can predict the future, but what I do know is that myself and my team work hard every day to make sure that my vision, my sound, and my brand reach their full potential.
MAC always has the cool, funky products.
I've been through a heartbreak and seen the business side of the music industry. Now I see things clearer.
I'm more conscious about who I let into my heart, and I'm singing about it.
I like to mix the street look with classy and sexy. I call it 'hood chic.'
Everyone has their own style. It's unique; no one person's style is wrong.
I'll always be a Brooklyn girl.
For the most part, I'm very into sweatpants and cute tops from streetwear brands like Supreme and Palace for a '90s tomboy vibe.
Being a brown girl, I like to wear colors that are similar to my skin tone, so I wear a lot of dark colors - never anything that's too bright.
I'm hoping that people will love the music, but at the same time, the most important thing to me is that I love the music.
For the most part, my daily attire is comfortable yet fashionable - I guess you can call it tomboyish.
It all started with social media, building a fan base via Tumblr and YouTube, doing covers, and releasing a project with original music. Labels started to peel interest then. It was around the same time I was applying for college.
When it comes to dance hall music, I definitely listened to a lot of Vybz Kartel growing up or Gyptian and Mavado.
We all feel like we're alone, but as artists, we get to see firsthand from our fans that we're not. Hearing them scream the words to your songs is the most amazing feeling.
When you're in the limelight, you can't always lash out.
Even at my lowest point, when I've wanted to give up, I know that I have to believe in myself because I'm all that I have.
Sometimes there can be pressure to post, especially from your followers.
Music says the things that people don't say or are afraid to say, and that's the best part about it for me.
When it comes to lipstick and makeup, I love MAC.
There's always competition in the world, but you don't have to be enemies. You can empower each other.
I want to build up the most hype around my album. I wouldn't just throw it away.
In terms of style, I'm really inspired by Foxy Brown and Naomi Campbell.
My dream collaboration would be to work with Drake. Honestly, he's an amazing songwriter, and I feel like if we got the opportunity to do a song, it would be the most amazing thing to ever hit people's ears.
That's where people go wrong in the music industry: they get all these fancy things and think that they deserve them, but they really haven't done anything to earn them yet.
Growing up, it was always a huge battle with my mom to let me color my hair or add extensions.
One thing that I must do with every wash is deep condition. I have this theory in my head that it will make my hair really healthy, especially since I'm always keeping it in different styles.
I just want to make great music. There's not a genre that I would categorize it as, but I want it to be true and authentic.
My style is very spontaneous.
I kind of came about at the same time as Instagram, and it becomes, like, your portfolio. When people search who you are, they search Instagram, and I feel like people aren't even using Google anymore.
The first three years my hair was purple, I still was trying to convince myself that I hated the color purple.
I have three styles. One is my Hypebeast tomboy look, which is pretty much my everyday look.
