“I am more vintage than I am high fashion.”
― Kat Graham
“There was a time when men thought it was sexy to have a housewife waiting for him to come home from work in her slippers, but in modern society, I think an independent woman is even more sexy.”
― Kat Graham
“I think sometimes when you want attention, you can wear sunglasses, and people are like, ‘Who is that?’”
― Kat Graham
“My style is not trendy by any means; my inner artists loves to shine through in my wardrobe.”
― Kat Graham
“I love being on tour; I love being on the road. It’s the most amazing feeling ever. I live for it; I love it.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m a smoky eye girl. I love playing with eye colors, metallics… fun stuff!”
― Kat Graham
“I like different statement jewelry, especially around the ears.”
― Kat Graham
“All the great artists had their dark sides. Look at Amy Winehouse or anyone who has achieved a certain level of success. Even Adele, and the people that you wouldn’t put in the same category as a gangster rapper. These women have exposed their vulnerabilities, demons, and things that have hurt them.”
― Kat Graham
“I have more of a desire to write songs about being an independent woman than being in love, songs about getting up and moving on even if I have a broken heart. ‘Wanna Say’ is one of the few love songs I’ve ever done.”
― Kat Graham
“I have more of a desire to write songs about being an independent woman than being in love, songs about getting up and moving on even if I have a broken heart.”
― Kat Graham
“I think that with beauty, people jump to the end instead of starting from the beginning with a good lotion or prep.”
― Kat Graham
“I just want get to as high as I can go. I think that’s the safest and most politically correct thing I can say. I’m not trying to take anyone’s spot. I want to create my own lane and shoot to the sky.”
― Kat Graham
“I like darker, mysterious scents and things that reflect my personality.”
― Kat Graham
“I love outdoor winter activities like snow tubing and snowball throwing.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m into Gucci a lot, like vintage ’70s everything. I’m into Versace.”
― Kat Graham
“I learned that it’s OK to be stubborn about your craft, and it’s OK to demand excellence from the industry.”
― Kat Graham
“It’s really important, especially for young girls, to see that if you fall down, you get back up. If you get sick, you get back up. People are going to say what they want.”
― Kat Graham
“You make your mark by being true to who you are and letting that be your staple.”
― Kat Graham
“There’s a common misconception that you don’t need SPF during the grey winter months, but it’s so important to protect skin from UVA/UVB rays year-round.”
― Kat Graham
“I like that the ‘Underworld’ series created a whole other world that’s totally different yet familiar to our own.”
― Kat Graham
“I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved who I am not. Even if you’re not accepted, at least you are still yourself.”
― Kat Graham
“I think a lot of young girls see actresses, and they think of red carpets, and they think of ‘Us Weekly,’ and they don’t really think about the breaking down of a script and what that requires and what you would need to pull it off.”
― Kat Graham
“It’s so important to get your skin to look even, whether it’s with a MAC Cosmetics glow, a Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, or even just a solid foundation. Start off with a good prep and a good primer.”
― Kat Graham
“I’d really like to work with Gwen Stefani and Cee Lo.”
― Kat Graham
“When you’re an entertainer, it’s hard not to compare yourself with the next person’s success. But you have to trust your own journey and your strengths and believe in yourself. I think that’s the best place to start.”
― Kat Graham
“If you’re cast on ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ the likelihood of you dying is very good.”
― Kat Graham
“When you get bullied, you automatically think that you’re the reason why you’re getting bullied. The reality is, it’s about them, not you… I’m all about blocking people. I’m all about saying, ‘You know what, I don’t need this in my life.’”
― Kat Graham
“My first audition as a little girl was ‘Interview with the Vampire’ for Kirsten Dunst’s part. Back then, they were meeting all different kinds of girls, and I was one of them. There’s got to be an audition tape somewhere on VHS. Who would have known that many years later I would be on a vampire show?”
― Kat Graham
“I think it’s important to have your own individual style and sense of self. It’s kind of what I do.”
― Kat Graham
“It’s important to keep your power and not give it up.”
― Kat Graham
“I don’t feel like I necessarily juggle. I just feel like I’m focusing on being a singer/actor. That’s what I am, and it’s what I do.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m like, ‘Why aren’t artists owning their masters? Why are labels robbing artists dry, and they have to spend all this time on tour to even break even?’ Like, what happened? Why are they promoting things that aren’t either socially conscious or elevating the human consciousness?”
― Kat Graham
“I’m somebody who listens to a lot of funk, a lot of James Brown, and I want to be somebody who contributes all that energy to the mainstream.”
― Kat Graham
“To me, success is making a positive difference through art – making art that affects the world and that changes the way people feel about themselves and the world.”
― Kat Graham
“MAC Cosmetics is incredible for lips; I always wear it.”
― Kat Graham
“Water for People is a non-profit international organization that brings together communities, entrepreneurs, governments – people – to create solutions that empower people to maintain their own reliable water systems and sanitation.”
― Kat Graham
“I’ve always been involved with charities and things like that, but when I started communicating with the fans and hearing their stories about the lives they lead, it really made an impact on me.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m obsessed with cooking! I want a degree in the culinary arts!”
― Kat Graham
“Anyone who knows me knows what I’m about – how much I’m into empowerment, equal rights and everyone just loving themselves.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m very strange, I’m not going to lie.”
― Kat Graham
“I actually got a play from auditioning for something in ‘Back Stage’ magazine.”
― Kat Graham
“If I have an audition, I go to the audition in character. I’m in character when I walk in the room. I mean, I’m still sweet to everyone, but I’m very much the character.”
― Kat Graham
“I completely took off my eyebrows one time for a screen test. I hadn’t even gotten the role yet. So you have to have a commitment.”
― Kat Graham
“If I was on Broadway, I would want to do anything Vaudeville or a biopic.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m all about high-waisted pants and skirts, pencil skirts, and sheer, long-sleeves in the summer.”
― Kat Graham
“I used to read the criticism on blogs about other people – mostly female actresses and singers – and even when they are extremely perfect and harmless, people still go after them. So I figure, if I’m going to get negativity regardless, why do I have to worry about what somebody thinks of me?”
― Kat Graham
“I like the idea of being so passionate about everything I do and the fact that I might wake up tomorrow and say ‘I want to be a chef,’ and just pour myself into that.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m happy when I have, like, one fan, but the fact that I’m getting fans from different places and different communities, it’s really amazing.”
― Kat Graham
“My first show was in front of 30,000 people with will.i.am, and I wasn’t even that nervous.”
― Kat Graham
“I think the hardest thing to do in a relationship is something for yourself.”
― Kat Graham
“I never want to be a spectacle, but I also feel like a look should always have a little bit of an edge.”
― Kat Graham
“I run away from super-bandage-style Herve Leger dresses. I think it’s sexier for a woman to be in something sheer and loose.”
― Kat Graham
“My experience with music, I’m not going to say extremely negative, but it’s definitely been a grind; it’s been grimy – it hasn’t been a pretty process. It’s left me crying, you know, on the carpet in my tiny apartment with, like, no money. But it’s been worth it, it’s my passion, my dream, it’s what I love to do.”
― Kat Graham
“I just want to live on the road. I can’t understand artists that don’t want to perform and, like, get on stage and do their songs for all their fans every night. If I’m not performing every night, I get totally depressed. I know that sounds really weird, but I hate sitting at home and not having a 1 A.M. performance now. It kills me.”
― Kat Graham
“My biggest style inspirations come from the ’90s. I’m really inspired by TLC, Janet Jackson, and designers like Jeremy Scott. I’m hugely inspired by Club Kids from New York back in the ’90s. I’m inspired by the drag queen scene. Combat boots and the torn off jeans and a baggy shirt – I love that look.”
― Kat Graham
“I just don’t drink alcohol. I never have; I never will.”
― Kat Graham
“In 10 years, I don’t really know what I’ll be, and I like not having any idea. I like the idea of being so passionate about everything I do and the fact that I might wake up tomorrow and say ‘I want to be a chef,’ and just pour myself into that.”
― Kat Graham
“I think that with ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ you never know what’s going to happen, and I don’t think the characters necessarily know, either. So you can only weigh so much, and then it might just come down to ‘kill or be killed.’”
― Kat Graham
“I had racially prejudiced comments directed at me on different blogs. People think that just because you’re in the spotlight, you’re fair game. It’s hard, and I don’t think you’re ready at any age for it. Thankfully, I have some great fans who got me through it.”
― Kat Graham
“I hope to do multiple characters throughout my life that are separate from me. I think it’s a cop-out if you play yourself in everything.”
― Kat Graham
“’Blade’ was amazing; I can’t imagine the character without Wesley Snipes. He just made a long, black leather trench coat look so cool.”
― Kat Graham
“Will Smith is one of my favorite actors, and he’s also a triple threat. He successfully crossed over from music into acting. Also, I liked ‘I Am Legend’ because it was so unexpected. The movie wasn’t what I thought it’d turn out to be.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m not somebody who’s emotionally attached to an outcome of a character that I’m hired to play. The fans are.”
― Kat Graham
“It’s important for me to just be myself – in fashion. A lot of people overlook that side of me because they’re scared of it, but that’s just who I am.”
― Kat Graham
“I don’t really have a main source for my style inspiration. It’s really about however I feel about myself at the moment.”
― Kat Graham
“I’ve been doing acting since I was 6 years old, and I don’t know how to do anything besides act and sing. Back in the day, you had to do it all – you had to sing, dance, and act. I’m from the old school where that is what I was trained to do, and that’s what I am expected to do, so it’s weird when people ask me to choose.”
― Kat Graham
“On my days off, I love denim cut off shorts with gladiator sandals and crop tops.”
― Kat Graham
“I love to add ’90s trends mixed with modern day pieces I find along my many travels. Like these cool fun hats from Europe I have. I love to collect different ones from every country. I have them from London to Brussels.”
― Kat Graham
“The hardest thing as somebody who does both is – and I’m very serious as an actor, and I consider myself very serious as a musician, engineer, music artist – is learning that it’s OK to be versatile.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m really into kind of finding different masculine pieces and making them feminine. Like cool oxfords.”
― Kat Graham
“Take chances, find your voice in fashion, and find what you like, and find what makes you feel good, and do that.”
― Kat Graham
“Sometimes fashion designers will be like, ‘This is what’s hot right now, and you will be cool if you wear this,’ but sometimes it’s too expensive or doesn’t look good on me or isn’t who I am, and I don’t need to just think that what you’re saying is what’s cool if I have my own identity.”
― Kat Graham
“Sometimes what I think what the news is missing is the human element, the connection – the moment that you look into a little girl’s eyes or a father who has just left his family and risked everything just to try and survive.”
― Kat Graham
“Listen, I’m not a politician. I’m not a news reporter. I make music, and I act.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m hoping I’ll eventually get to be a beauty blogger myself because I do my own makeup, and I have for years.”
― Kat Graham
“I think magazines and interviews make celebrities into this bigger-than-life thing, but I’ve gotten bullied over trying different things with my makeup.”
― Kat Graham
“I found my style and how I like to do makeup from trying and failing and trying and failing again, and unfortunately, I had to do it publicly to figure it out.”
― Kat Graham
“I’d say when it comes to being who you are, just don’t be afraid to try things.”
― Kat Graham
“I only write in blue ink.”
― Kat Graham
“If you don’t feel clean, it affects everything you do; you can’t even focus right.”
― Kat Graham
“Even if you throw your hair up in a quick topknot or ponytail, you can add instant polish by wearing a headband or bejeweled barrette.”
― Kat Graham
“I love sparkly eyes for the holidays, especially New Year’s Eve.”
― Kat Graham
“I was raised in Hollywood by my mother.”
― Kat Graham
“Make your life about you, and once you build up yourself first, then you can focus on boys.”
― Kat Graham
“If a boy messes up, you walk away. If a boy isn’t treating you right, you walk away. It sounds simpler than it is, but you can’t allow yourself to be disrespected. You have to be a strong girl.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m more of a tough girl, and I’m attracted to things that reflect that in my perfumes. That means sandalwood, musk, amber, and vanilla notes.”
― Kat Graham
“I follow so many beauty bloggers on Instagram.”
― Kat Graham
“I feel like I can’t be sick without some story being made up or some photos being sold a month later.”
― Kat Graham
“When you’re changing your diet, or you’re becoming a vegan, your system will become a bit more sensitive, and you just have to deal with it.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m a human being, and I get sick.”
― Kat Graham
“I don’t have the kind of style that I feel like would serve any and everyone.”
― Kat Graham
“People automatically assume that because you’re an actor, you’re a blank canvas 24/7. But I can’t wear what everyone else wears. If I went to an audition, I’d wear what the character would wear, but the moment I’m done with the audition or done filming, I go back into my high-waisteds.”
― Kat Graham
“I get a lot of backlash for wearing designers that I feel are creators and artists. I get it all the time.”
― Kat Graham
“I love anything that makes you feel empowered. I’m ’bout that – you can’t be scared.”
― Kat Graham
“I just don’t stop working.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m still dreaming to be the next Missy Elliott.”
― Kat Graham
“I love a cool bralette paired with a high-waisted jean, maybe with Chanel suspenders and a good platform shoe.”
― Kat Graham
“Live performances always feel like such a moment with all of the costumes and theatrics.”
― Kat Graham
“You just can’t afford to care that much about the negative things people say about you. You just can’t!”
― Kat Graham
“I started off as a recording engineer and a beatmaker. I was this skater kid that would skateboard to auditions, and then I would use the money I’d make and buy a bunch of equipment and make a bunch of beats. I still am that kid, just with a little more money.”
― Kat Graham
“I just wanna be a good artist.”
― Kat Graham
“I just want to make sure that I’m taking roles that are positive, real, honest reflections of African-Americans because I do think the media can put African-American women in the background. Then, unfortunately, what happens is, subconsciously, our culture begins to assess that as reality.”
― Kat Graham
“You have to be very careful with the art you create and you put out.”
― Kat Graham
“If you’re a boxer, you have your trainer. As an actor, I have Ivana Chubbuck. She’s my teacher as an actress and in this crazy thing called life.”
― Kat Graham
“When I see other working actresses that are brown, I get so excited. I get so excited when I see Zoe Kravitz, Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson, Ava Duvernay, and all these beautiful women working.”
― Kat Graham
“There’s not enough black films out there. There’s not enough Latin films, or films that have an Asian, Indian or Middle Eastern lead. The list goes on and on.”
― Kat Graham
“I don’t want to be alone at 80 years old, dripping in diamonds – having never helped anyone. That’s not my path. That’s not what I care about. That’s not what excites me.”
― Kat Graham
“Tupac has always been somebody who represented a higher consciousness of what it means on both sides of the coin to be black in America. He and Prince were leaders who moved to the beat of their own drum, and I can only hope to follow in their footsteps.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m somebody who doesn’t believe in conforming to maybe whatever is on the radio.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m still somebody that listens to a lot of James Brown, a lot of The O’Jays, a lot of TLC… in that era, producers had more musicianship.”
― Kat Graham
“Work always comes first as an actor.”
― Kat Graham
“I learned about poise and dignity, and I learned about what it means to be an African-American in television and what that requires in terms of what kind of position you take for yourself and how you define your own reality in a world that is still finding its footing, to say the least.”
― Kat Graham
“I want to be someone who is a great representation of a black woman in Hollywood, a black woman in the entertainment industry.”
― Kat Graham
“I’m an activist. I’m a proud activist. So I want to be someone who is pro-black and pro-Africa and still be somebody that has positive influence.”
― Kat Graham
“Before ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ I was making beats, which is how I got will.i.am’s attention, and I went on tour with him.”
― Kat Graham
“’Roxbury Drive’ was the street I grew up on as a little kid, and it was the street that I first listened to records on, and where I actually really first fell in love with music.”
― Kat Graham
“I think Sephora is great; it’s so accessible, and there are so many different palettes that you can get.”
― Kat Graham
“When I first started performing, the only community that truly got what I was trying to do was the LGBTQ community.”
― Kat Graham
“When I moved to Atlanta, I felt like an outsider – away from my friends and family except for the LGBTQ community.”
― Kat Graham
“I think with girlfriends, you always want your girlfriends to make the decisions for themselves, not based on a boy, not based on anything other than, ‘Is this what you want?’ Is this you know what you want to do?’ And that’s real support to me.”
― Kat Graham
“I have to hear more live instrumentation, more band and more funk, and I don’t hear enough of it, so I created it myself.”
― Kat Graham
“There’s not one day that goes by that I’m not listening to one of my songs or in rehearsal for one of my songs or dancing to one of my songs.”
― Kat Graham
“I wanted to be the first female, young teenager producer, and it didn’t happen. And when it finally did happen, I was shelved because I was signed to Warner Bros.”
― Kat Graham
“I can’t understand artists that don’t want to perform and, like, get on stage and do their songs for all their fans every night.”
― Kat Graham
“I would really love to collaborate with Gwen Stefani and M.I.A.; artists that kind of make sense with me vocally. And in terms of style, I’m a very visual artist. I really love Pharell. I love people that really care about drums, and I like beat-heavy.”
― Kat Graham
“When people start to think they’re figuring out ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ it switches on you.”
― Kat Graham
“Will Smith is one of my favorite actors, and he’s also a triple threat. He successfully crossed over from music into acting.”
― Kat Graham
“When people are like, ‘What do you think of this vampire craze?’ – well, I don’t really feel like it ever ended, personally, ’cause I’ve always been into them, like ‘Underworld.’”
― Kat Graham
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