You can't go round looking like a rag.

I was in a band in Auckland, and I remember they all hated me. They had a big intervention. They said, basically, 'Gin, we think you suck.' I was miserable. I cried and cried. But looking back, that taught me about social skills and how to communicate with musicians.

I'm not aiming to be someone like Christina Aguilera.

I'm getting all domesticated. I feel like Susie the homemaker.

I love the energy in the U.S., you know. Everyone is really psyched. You feel really privileged to be there.

I'd say the key thing is to remain true to what originally got you into music. When I wrote 'Hallelujah,' it ignited me to do music because of the love and joy that I got from writing that song. Down the road, you get all of these opinions from people; just remember what got you started in the first place.