Beyoncé is one of those celebrities who keeps her personal life private. In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar for their September cover, the 39-year-old spoke more intimately about her upbringing, her life at home with husband Jay-Z and their three children, and her recent projects.

The award-winning singer spoke about being shy as a child and how it shaped her to be who she is today. “The first decade of my life was dedicated to dreaming. Because I was an introvert, I didn’t speak very much as a child. I spent a lot of time in my head building my imagination. I am now grateful for those shy years of silence. Being shy taught me empathy and gave me the ability to connect and relate to people. I’m no longer shy, but I’m not sure I would dream as big as I dream today if it were not for those awkward years in my head.”

Beyonce wouldn’t be where she is today without hard work and sacrifice. In the interview, the soon-to-be 40-year-old told how she knew at a young age that she had to dedicate everything to her craft in order to succeed and if something was standing in her from achieving her goal, she didn’t want any part in it. “If something wasn’t helping me reach my goal, I decided to invest no time in it. I didn’t feel like I had time to “kiki” or hang out.”

As the interview continued, the singer touched upon today’s society with their heads in their phones and how everything is accessible. She also spoke about her charitable work and how she ultimately wants her craft to touch and inspire others. “I wanted the focus to be on my music, because if my art isn’t strong enough or meaningful enough to keep people interested and inspired, then I’m in the wrong business. My music, my films, my art, my message—that should be enough.”

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“In this business, so much of your life does not belong to you unless you fight for it. I’ve fought to protect my sanity and my privacy because the quality of my life depended on it. A lot of who I am is reserved for the people I love and trust.”