"I Was Teased for My Skin Color:" Singer Tweet Opens Up About Overcoming Her Biggest Insecurity

When we want to get sexy for our men or women (or ourselves), we still play Tweet's sensually fierce '02 jam "Oops (Oh My)" to get us in the mood. Lucky for us, the songstress is back. And she hasn't lost her touch in helping us embrace our femininity and bodies.

VH1 caught up with the 45-year-old songstress (who doesn't look a day over 20, by the way), who's only a few days away from the release of her next album, Charlene. (Her real name). The album title alone makes it clear that Tweet is back, uncensored and ready to show us who she really is. But she wasn't always as confident as her fierce persona lets on. At Essence's 2016 Black Women in Music event in LA last night, the singer revealed that a major insecurity and obstacle she eventually learned to overcome was the color of her skin.

"Growing up I was teased for my skin color," she said. "But as I grew up and even now, I'm more mature and happy and comfortable in the skin that I'm in."

She says learning to cut out negative influences in her life helped her embrace her skin tone, ultimately allowing it to become a source of pride and strength.

"It's process of elimination, you get rid of things in your mind that make you believe what you hear. Start redoing your mind and say: 'God created me this way, I must be wonderful, so let's live in it.'"

Amen.

And don't ever leave us again, Tweet. Ever.