Sky Ferreira speaks of fame pain

Sky Ferreira found her rise to fame "painful".

The 21-year-old singer recently released her debut album Night Time, My Time after working on it for several years.

Her record was overdue after arguments with her Stateside label Capitol, who she has often complained about in the past.

Speaking about her battles in the industry, Sky insists the main reason she has made it is because she has stayed true to herself.

"The best outcomes I've ever had with stuff is when I'm being myself and not changing or toning it down," she explained to British newspaper Metro.

"Even though that route is a lot harder, slower and more painful when people judge and poke fun at you, at least I'm doing what I want and I can stand behind what I do… I think that honesty is why I've maintained my fan base over the past five years."

It was the brunette musician's tough time at school which fuelled her talent. She turned to music as an escape and planned from a young age to send messages through her work about what kind of person she is.

"I got bullied. I just remember thinking: 'Once I make all of these albums everyone will understand me and I will never have to explain myself again,'" she recalled.

"Which is ironic because it's been the complete opposite. I guess I could be doing a lot worse – at least I love what I do."

Sky has had a turbulent few years outside of her music. Last year she was accused by police of possessing the drug ecstasy, while her boyfriend was charged with having heroin.

She credits her album as a method of release for all her troubles and she has taken negative events in her stride.

"I've been through it all already. I think that's why I'm so grounded and haven't let it get to me. I've been shelved like ten times and have been publicly bullied so I feel like I'm glad that all happened before my album came out," she explained.

"I had a lot of anger in me that I think was suppressed. I have a hard time communicating things, so when I finally recorded the album, it was like: 'Oh, I finally said it.' It was therapeutic."