By Crystal McCrary Anthony
Photography by Bode Helm

She caused quite a ruckus this spring, baring all in the music video for “Window Seat,” a song from her latest album, “New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh.” Now the Dallas native reveals a little more of herself to show why she is R&B’s resolute free spirit.

My current state of mind has me…
Feeling present, here, and in the moment.

My greatest fault would be…
Doubting myself. I do that rarely, but when it comes up, that’s a fault to me.

The person who knows me best is…
My mom, because I am an improvement on her design.

My biggest vice is…
Singing onstage. It’s my therapy—the moment I feel most high, and there’s a tremendous amount of joy in my chest cavity.

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is…
Look at my 1-year-old daughter, Mars, and smile.

The last thing I do before I go to bed is…
Put the house to sleep. I put out all the candles, crack the windows, walk around my pad, and touch everything. Then I can lie down after I’m sure I’ve protected my little tribe.

The last book I read was…
The Mysticism of Sound by Hazrat Inayat Khan.

What makes me cry is…
Seeing people be victorious.

My hero is…
My uncle who survived a crack cocaine addiction, came back, and has been functioning for more than 15 years. Now he’s one of the most successful people in my family.

The piece of advice my mother gave me that I still follow is…
Watch me and you might learn something.

My fondest childhood memory is…
Playing kickball with my sister, uncles, and cousins at the house I grew up in.

Earthly happiness to me is…
Two o’clock in the afternoon, when the sun is in the highest place and there are clothes on a clothesline.

Sexiness is…
The way a person smiles and smells.

The quality I most admire in a man is…
Intelligence.

The quality I most admire in a woman is…
Courage.

I would like to live…
Anywhere that I could be my highest self.

If I ruled the world, I would…
Erase everyone’s memories of pain so we could start fresh with no fear.