Actress-turned-singer Hailee Steinfeld is taking her time in putting together her debut album because she is still grappling with allowing herself to be so "vulnerable" in her music.
The Pitch Perfect 3 star dropped her first single, Love Myself, in 2015, and has since collaborated on hits with DNCE, Zedd, Alesso, Florida Georgia Line, and Watt.
Her continued music output has led fans to wonder when her first studio album will be released, and up until now, Hailee has simply told them "soon", but she admits they may have to wait a little longer.
"I'm so over saying the word 'soon' because I've used it too many damn times," she told Marie Claire magazine. "I don't even know what it means anymore."
Hailee insists she is eager to share new material, but she is hesitant to open herself up emotionally in a way she's only ever done on camera, when she's able to hide behind her character's persona.
"As an actor, I'm masked by characters, protected by them," she explained. "But as a musician, it's my story, my voice, my face.
"It's me on that stage talking about that horrible experience I went through and (saying), 'Here, I'm going to sing about it.' It's such a different kind of vulnerable. To connect with fans, there's pressure in feeling like I have to do things that I'm uncomfortable with, in terms of opening up enough about myself."
It's not the only aspect of her life Hailee has been protective about - the 21-year-old has the same approach when it comes to romantic relationships, even though she's been dating social media personality Cameron Smoller since 2016.
"I'm trying to protect myself and have a bit of a guard up," she admitted, "but I also want to fall in love and know why love hurts."
