Alyson Stoner Reminisces on the Iconic Missy Elliott Videos That Gave Her Her Big Break

Elliott's performance at the Super Bowl blew everyone away, including Stoner. "My phone blew up with about 4,000 messages and people were asking if I was going to show up on stage or not," she said. "I didn’t know what they were referring to, but once I saw Missy’s performance, several reporters and articles started circulating about where the little girl in the Missy Elliott video was 12 years later. I knew I needed to respond publicly, but I didn’t want to look bitter or as though I was trying to piggyback on her appearance, so I thought the best route was to pay tribute and to thank her. Within four days, I coordinated the entire production with friends. We shot it in about six hours, I edited with the videographer Tim Milgram, and we released it."

While she admitted that watching the music videos now can be a little bittersweet, she added that she is ultimately grateful. "I have a public home video collection and it's really neat to see the development, and watching myself now I feel like I've done nothing but grow and expand," she said. "And of course, I'm grateful that if I ever have a family of my own, my kids will be able to see their mom dancing at eight years old in a rock video."

Back in the day, Stoner was also a Disney Channel starlet, appearing in both Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2 alongside the likes of Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers. She couldn't help but gush over how proud she was of her former costars, saying, "I think our generation on Disney has proven to be just as powerful and just as far-reaching as the Mickey Mouse club generation with Justin [Timberlake] and Britney [Spears] because if you look at the charts now, Nick [Jonas], Demi [Lovato], Ariana [Grande] are ruling pop music and their roots are with the mouse and Nickelodeon."

The singer revealed that her new track is actually two years in the making. "I wrote it at a transitional point when I realized I reached a plateau with my career and I had to transition to adult roles, but I was kind of living in a safe zone, in a pretty uncreative, uninspiring artistic place," she explained. "So, in order to break through that obstacle, I had to face some fears, take some risks, and learn more about myself, including the shortcomings and weaknesses. So, the song is more than just a statement of child to adult, from backup to lead; it's moreso embracing my story and deciding to participate in my dream and my future."

While "Woman" is meant to be an empowering track for all genders, she admitted that there are a few celebrities out there that she feels are really making a difference when it comes to women's empowerment. "I think Emma Watson is doing a wonderful job at speaking up," she admitted. "I have to say, I think there are a lot of different angles and a lot of different important sides to the story, and some people who are more outspoken, it's great that they are talking about the issues, but it's also great that there are women that are just embodying it and living it and letting that speak for itself."

For her, the "most beautiful gift" is that the two go hand-in-hand. "I feel so fortunate that I'm learning how to be honest while also documenting it in art form," she explained. "There's a song for every moment, for every emotion, for every experience, and instead of trying to solve it or draw a conclusion about my opinion on a matter, I'm able to just express and let that be."

Ever since Kelly was nominated for a 2016 Grammy, the whole world has fallen in love with Tori Kelly, and Stoner is no exception. "Who she is on stage is who she is in person, and that kind of authenticity, was very inspiring to me as I was developing my music and my sound," she said. "I also like that, so far, she's stayed pretty true to her roots and it's just nice to see artists who are grounded in reality and not swept away by the pleasures and the luxuries that come with fame and success."

If given the chance to share some words of wisdom with her younger self, she admitted that she would ultimately tell her to work around predetermined ideas that life throws at you. "I would challenge young girls to create a lot of room and lot of space to explore who they are, where they came from, what they want to do, and to pursue growth without any restrictions," she said. "Just to increasingly open their minds, because I think that's what will help elevate women to positions that we otherwise don't get the same equal opportunities for right now. We have to see beyond and live from the forward future and let the world accommodate around us."