When people are like, 'What do you think of this vampire craze?' - well, I don't really feel like it ever ended, personally, 'cause I've always been into them, like 'Underworld.'
— Kat Graham
When people start to think they're figuring out 'The Vampire Diaries,' it switches on you.
I wanted to be the first female, young teenager producer, and it didn't happen. And when it finally did happen, I was shelved because I was signed to Warner Bros.
I have to hear more live instrumentation, more band and more funk, and I don't hear enough of it, so I created it myself.
When I moved to Atlanta, I felt like an outsider - away from my friends and family except for the LGBTQ community.
It's so important to get your skin to look even, whether it's with a MAC Cosmetics glow, a Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, or even just a solid foundation. Start off with a good prep and a good primer.
'Roxbury Drive' was the street I grew up on as a little kid, and it was the street that I first listened to records on, and where I actually really first fell in love with music.
I want to be someone who is a great representation of a black woman in Hollywood, a black woman in the entertainment industry.
I learned about poise and dignity, and I learned about what it means to be an African-American in television and what that requires in terms of what kind of position you take for yourself and how you define your own reality in a world that is still finding its footing, to say the least.
I'm still somebody that listens to a lot of James Brown, a lot of The O'Jays, a lot of TLC... in that era, producers had more musicianship.
I don't want to be alone at 80 years old, dripping in diamonds - having never helped anyone. That's not my path. That's not what I care about. That's not what excites me.
When I see other working actresses that are brown, I get so excited. I get so excited when I see Zoe Kravitz, Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson, Ava Duvernay, and all these beautiful women working.
I just want to make sure that I'm taking roles that are positive, real, honest reflections of African-Americans because I do think the media can put African-American women in the background. Then, unfortunately, what happens is, subconsciously, our culture begins to assess that as reality.
You just can't afford to care that much about the negative things people say about you. You just can't!
I'm still dreaming to be the next Missy Elliott.
I get a lot of backlash for wearing designers that I feel are creators and artists. I get it all the time.
It's really important, especially for young girls, to see that if you fall down, you get back up. If you get sick, you get back up. People are going to say what they want.
I like that the 'Underworld' series created a whole other world that's totally different yet familiar to our own.
I would really love to collaborate with Gwen Stefani and M.I.A.; artists that kind of make sense with me vocally. And in terms of style, I'm a very visual artist. I really love Pharell. I love people that really care about drums, and I like beat-heavy.
There's not one day that goes by that I'm not listening to one of my songs or in rehearsal for one of my songs or dancing to one of my songs.
I'm somebody who listens to a lot of funk, a lot of James Brown, and I want to be somebody who contributes all that energy to the mainstream.
When I first started performing, the only community that truly got what I was trying to do was the LGBTQ community.
MAC Cosmetics is incredible for lips; I always wear it.
Before 'The Vampire Diaries,' I was making beats, which is how I got will.i.am's attention, and I went on tour with him.
I'm like, 'Why aren't artists owning their masters? Why are labels robbing artists dry, and they have to spend all this time on tour to even break even?' Like, what happened? Why are they promoting things that aren't either socially conscious or elevating the human consciousness?
I think a lot of young girls see actresses, and they think of red carpets, and they think of 'Us Weekly,' and they don't really think about the breaking down of a script and what that requires and what you would need to pull it off.
I'm somebody who doesn't believe in conforming to maybe whatever is on the radio.
All the great artists had their dark sides. Look at Amy Winehouse or anyone who has achieved a certain level of success. Even Adele, and the people that you wouldn't put in the same category as a gangster rapper. These women have exposed their vulnerabilities, demons, and things that have hurt them.
If you're a boxer, you have your trainer. As an actor, I have Ivana Chubbuck. She's my teacher as an actress and in this crazy thing called life.
I just wanna be a good artist.
Live performances always feel like such a moment with all of the costumes and theatrics.
I just don't stop working.
People automatically assume that because you're an actor, you're a blank canvas 24/7. But I can't wear what everyone else wears. If I went to an audition, I'd wear what the character would wear, but the moment I'm done with the audition or done filming, I go back into my high-waisteds.
I'm a human being, and I get sick.
Will Smith is one of my favorite actors, and he's also a triple threat. He successfully crossed over from music into acting.
I can't understand artists that don't want to perform and, like, get on stage and do their songs for all their fans every night.
I'm into Gucci a lot, like vintage '70s everything. I'm into Versace.
I think with girlfriends, you always want your girlfriends to make the decisions for themselves, not based on a boy, not based on anything other than, 'Is this what you want?' Is this you know what you want to do?' And that's real support to me.
I think that with beauty, people jump to the end instead of starting from the beginning with a good lotion or prep.
I think Sephora is great; it's so accessible, and there are so many different palettes that you can get.
I'm an activist. I'm a proud activist. So I want to be someone who is pro-black and pro-Africa and still be somebody that has positive influence.
I learned that it's OK to be stubborn about your craft, and it's OK to demand excellence from the industry.
Work always comes first as an actor.
Tupac has always been somebody who represented a higher consciousness of what it means on both sides of the coin to be black in America. He and Prince were leaders who moved to the beat of their own drum, and I can only hope to follow in their footsteps.
There's not enough black films out there. There's not enough Latin films, or films that have an Asian, Indian or Middle Eastern lead. The list goes on and on.
You have to be very careful with the art you create and you put out.
I started off as a recording engineer and a beatmaker. I was this skater kid that would skateboard to auditions, and then I would use the money I'd make and buy a bunch of equipment and make a bunch of beats. I still am that kid, just with a little more money.
I love a cool bralette paired with a high-waisted jean, maybe with Chanel suspenders and a good platform shoe.
I love anything that makes you feel empowered. I'm 'bout that - you can't be scared.
I don't have the kind of style that I feel like would serve any and everyone.
