Status doesn't matter; fame doesn't matter. You have to be really, really grounded in who you are and feel good as a person inside.
You kind of need to weed through who is wanting to be a true friend.
There's people I respect, and I guess that can be a crush. I think someone like Eddie Redmayne, he's incredibly talented, and he's realistic to say, like, oh yeah, that can be a crush because he's not, like, fifty years old.
Surrounding yourself with a great team that is really discerning and not pushing or rushing into a certain direction that doesn't seem like a progressive flow is really important.
I think you have to be guarded but not closed off.
So many people grew up in the church, and you can have an awesome upbringing, but I made a personal conviction; I made a personal decision when I was very young. I enjoy going to church without my parents. On Sunday mornings, I want to go. Bible studies on Wednesdays... I have a relationship - not just through my parents.
I'm sure there are little Aly and AJ fan babies out there that were made in our concerts. No, I'm kidding!
My dream is to work with people like Meryl Streep, Michael Fassbender, Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett. To me, those are true storytellers - genuine people who have stories to tell and make incredible films.
I don't really have control over my path - only the Lord does - but I do have control over my decisions.
I want make more records with my sister. I want to go on the road. I want to tour around the world. I want to continue to make great films and work with incredible directors that I respect and look up to.
For me, I just want to continue telling stories - whether it's musically or theatrically, this is what I love to do. So, I want to create more.
I don't think I have any celeb crushes!
I'm sure it's 10 times easier to handle the criticism and the paparazzi and all of that stuff with somebody by your side that you can share some of that with.
Most of the time, you're writing for radio, you're writing for a label, you're writing to stick a hit, and you end up coming out with something that isn't necessarily genuine.
In the age of social media and dating apps, so many people are able to hide behind their Instagram page or their Raya page or Facebook. And it's like, 'Let's set something up! I want to meet face-to-face.' And 'Take Me' was about, 'Are you going to take me out? Do I have to be the first person to make the move?'
I feel bonded to 'Take Me.' I'm proud of it. It's empowering, and at the end of the day, it's a pretty solid pop hit.
Aly and I went through just a long period of time where we just didn't feel creative musically. And, you know, we went through the whole writer's block thing, and we went through having two pretty successful records and figuring out how we want to transition as adults.
I barely listen to the radio, to be honest. I don't want anything infiltrating my ears that I don't want to possibly put out in my song.
We got lucky because we both happened to land TV shows. It was easy to ride that wave as long as possible because making music takes up so much time.
'The Distance' is the most visceral for me because I was in a long-distance relationship for two years, and that wears on you for sure, whether you're in the industry or not, traveling and trying to get to that other person.
