It's been less than a year since the death of Lea Michele [1]'s longtime boyfriend Cory Monteith [2], but she's been both strong and candid about her grieving process [3] in the months since. Lea shared his final four words to her [4] with the world by penning the emotional track "If You Say So [5]" for her debut album, which comes out today, March 4. She opened up to Seventeen [6] about what that date means to her and life after Cory in the April issue, though the talk shifted gears to also include a few carefree quotes about how she likes hanging out naked in her backyard. Pick up the magazine on newsstands March 11, and read more from Lea in Seventeen [7] below:

• On feeling confident with her body: "I'm very comfortable with my own body. I come from Broadway — everybody's naked on Broadway. I like to think of myself as more granola. I'm not going to run around naked or anything like that unless I'm at my own home. Today, I walked into my backyard and was standing out there naked for a while. Don't tell: my neighbors will freak out!"
• On that rumored Glee spinoff: "Let's do it. I think it could be Rachel living in New York and working on Broadway!"
• On why she kept filming Glee after Cory's death: "[The Glee cast] is the greatest group of people I have ever met in my entire life! We all lost Cory. I didn't think for one minute that being away from them was what I wanted. Being on the set of Glee is no more difficult than being at home and finding [Cory's] slippers under the bed. We had a life and a job together — it goes with you everywhere you go; you can't get away from grief. So I might as well be surrounded by the people I love and get to lean on them."
• On finding true love: "I only have happy memories of Cory. He was not his addiction — unfortunately, it won. But that wasn't who he was. Cory made me feel like a queen every day. From the minute he said, 'I'm your boyfriend,' I loved every day, and I thank him for being the best boyfriend and making me feel so beautiful."
• On remembering Cory through her future journeys: "My album is coming out on March 4 — which is bizarre, like it's meant to be. Just think about it: we're going to 'March fourth.' We're going to march forth like a 'Cannonball.' I try my best to march forth and live my life as best as I can for me. I also feel an incredible, happy responsibility to keep the memory and light of [Cory, who] was the most amazing person. I'm so happy to make it my journey now to continue on and live my life as best as I can."
• On her inspirations for her debut album: "I set out to make a really pop-heavy album that was fun and empowering — I love Katy Perry [8] and Kelly Clarkson [9]! But then I found myself picking and writing these songs that were very emotional and dramatic. Louder has songs that express extreme love and some pain. I look at it and think, 'That was my year.' I didn't record any songs that I didn't completely relate to."

Source: Seventeen [10]; Front Page

Source: Seventeen [11]