which is variously translated as district
, quarter
, ward, or "neighborhood." It is an official administrative unit in many Middle Eastern countries. In the Ottoman Empire
the mahalle was the smallest administrative entity. The mahalle is generally perceived to play an important role in identity formation
, with the local mosque and the local coffee house as the main social institutions.
There are definitely people I respect and I love their music, but there was never really an artist that I said, "I want to be just like them, I love the way their career is going. I love their music." It wasn't really like that. I wanted to be like myself.
Well, I'm not going to be singing about lollipops because I no longer relate to lollipops.
No, I don't do that [sing about sex]. My music isn't forward like that. It's not sexual the way Britney Spears|Britney's music is sexual. She feels comfortable singing about that, and that's fine, but I just don't talk about that kind of stuff, sorry. I just don't.
Compared to the first album, when I wasn't confident enough to make suggestions, this time around, I was very involved. I worked with the songwriters, telling them what was happening in my life, and what I wanted to sing about. If I thought it needed to be more heavy, more rock, I said so. I feel that this record is so much more me. I can't wait for people to hear it.