Winnie Harlow Quotes

With 'American Idol,' they're giving you a pass to get launched on, and it's up to you what you do with it.

I grew up always wanting to be a part of 'Idol,' and I never thought I would make it as far as I did. I was really lucky, and it's given me the opportunities that I have now.

I was young and so eager to make some money as well as get exposed and show my talent.

I didn't really know what to expect, but I thought there aren't a lot of rap groups that can say they have a documentary done about them, so my attitude was like, 'Shoot, why not?' I'm sure there are a lot of people that would like to take our place. I felt like we should all embrace it.

My desire for the part of Mammy was not dominated by selfishness for Hollywood has been good to me and I am grateful.

I set out very calculatedly to become known. The only thing I maybe miscalculated was how easy it would be.

It's cool to be named a Shooting Star and, of course, a big honor. But as to what comes of that, I'm just going to see what comes my way.

I have been so blessed not only to talk about things that I want to talk about in my industry, but also to have a platform - and people want to hear about it.

People know who I am now and what I can do, and it's all thanks to 'AGT'. It was never about winning for me. I just love to perform, and that's it really.

I did my job to make my name a household name.

'American Idol' opened up all the doors to where I am now.

Maybe I didn't take the advantage and become a star and get all the brands so that I could solidify my space in the world.

I believe that reality shows are extremely important for the talented. Contestants get a platform where they can prove their talent. If they are good at what they do, their life is made. Personally, reality shows have helped me get fame and money.

You get yourself out there and you work hard, and you hope that word of mouth carries and one day somebody will actually step up to the plate and say, 'I believe that you can do this.'

'Idol' was more of a competition, and that was more of a platform that I wanted to get a hold of and get on top of. And I finally got that opportunity, and now it's more like, I just gotta show and prove myself to everybody that I'm not just the 'balladeer.'

When I was growing up, I said to my ex-girlfriend, 'I will not be successful until everyone in Holland knows my name.' And it worked.

I've always acknowledged my debt to Hammer. I've always said I'm very grateful to them. They gave me this great opportunity, made me a well known face all over the world for which I am profoundly grateful.

Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. Conceit is self-given; be careful.

I don't crave fame. I mean, it's nice to be recognized. It is useful.

I used to beg for auditions. Now, they're being thrown at me.

I think the show has sort of given me a name in this business and allowed a lot of people the opportunity to see what I can do, and it's just sort of like a sweet starting point.

Go to the young conductors who are not making it, and you will hear how we shouldn't push ourselves or sell ourselves, how they don't have the right connections and the right opportunities. Well, you can be sure they've had the opportunities.

It's not like I think: 'By the age of 40 I've got to be an international household name.' When the opportunity to perform comes up, then I'll take it. It's really good fun. But because I don't crave the attention or the buzz, it's not like I'm desperate for it.

I've gotten an opportunity to work with a lot of the people I've looked up to over the years, and I feel pretty grateful for it.

If you do good work, you start to make a name for yourself and things can come around. Weird little happenstances happen.