The 43-year-old singer and actress has been in the spotlight since 1993 when she was a child star in Disney's The All-New Mickey Mouse Club.

She went on to unleash global chart-topping songs and appeared in huge Hollywood movies including Burlesque and Shark Tale.

In a new cover star interview with Paper magazine, the Genie in a Bottle singer revealed details of her troubled childhood, explaining, "Coming from an abusive household and seeing my mom feel voiceless and disempowered ignited something in me very early on.

"I grew up singing in front of people. I could see the reaction as a little girl, when I opened my mouth to sing. I was born with something I believe to be a gift, and I don't take that lightly."

She continued, "I'm going to be that voice that I didn't have growing up for my mother, be that voice for other people that feel voiceless in their own circumstances. It was very hard for me to stomach a lot of what I saw growing up, so I made a very early decision that I would come with something to say."

She also told the magazine that she was in the fame game, "for the love and the creativity, and how I can connect and hopefully spread messages."