“I Found Me” is based on an interview clip I saw of an interview Oprah did some years ago with Lance Armstrong’s ex-wife Kristin. She was talking about her life after divorcing him, and how, no longer limited to the role of mother and wife to a world-famous cyclist, she was free to explore many other things in her life. Had she not split with Lance, she never would have discovered these other sides of herself. The idea is that no one partner can make a person complete. Her sentiment was basically, when I lost you, I found myself. It took some time for her to realize the blessing that comes with leaving a troubled relationship. Often, that’s how we find out who we really are.

It reminds me of a friend of mine who was dating a drug addict and enabling him. When he let him go, he was free. He didn’t realize how all that weight was limiting him. I have found that people really relate to the song. When I performed it for troops at an outdoor event in Texas, there were people in the audience crying. Women came up to me and said, “I know I’m more than half a person. Why did I get so blinded by devotion?”

Working with that concept, I founded an organization called I Found Me that helps people from all socioeconomic backgrounds realize their dreams, large and small. In collaboration with Creative Justice Los Angeles, I use a specially designed I Found Me bus to get out and meet people in need, help them achieve their goals and engage in conversations that help them escape the trauma of their day. Many of these are people who have lost themselves, and I’m helping them discover their true selves that others don’t know about.

On a cool technical note, we did a live string date for the song at Capitol Records, and for the photos and videos being taken, I got to hold an old RCA mic that Frank and Nat King Cole once used. It’s a special song in so many ways, that touches people in places nothing else does.