Two decades ago, Paris Hilton started building an empire that spanned reality TV, music, movies, social media, a massively profitable perfume line and much more. In many ways, her success went hand in hand with her reputation for being a ditzy blonde heiress — but that wasn't her true self. She says she crafted that persona as a trauma response.

"I just kind of created this character of this Barbie doll [with a] perfect life," she tells Q guest host Talia Schlanger in an interview. "I just kind of continued playing that character because I knew that that's what people wanted … and then it kind of just became almost like part of me. I think now I look at it as kind of like the more playful, fun part of me. But I think it all really stems back to just everything that I went through as a teen."

Over the last few years, Hilton has been open about her harrowing experience at a Utah boarding school for troubled teens. She's accused staff members of sexually, physically and psychologically abusing her and other students.

"I think it really prepared me for Hollywood in many ways because it just made me so strong," she says. "I had went through such hell that, you know, Hollywood was nothing compared to what I've been through in life. So I think I'm just one of those people who's just very, very strong."

It wasn't until Hilton made her 2020 documentary This is Paris that she says she was able to appear "vulnerable and real" for the first time in public.

"I wasn't expecting to talk about any of the trauma that I had went through," she says. "It's just been so healing and so freeing for people to see that I am a human and I have feelings and that there is a lot more to me than I let on before."

For years, Hilton put on a breathy, almost baby-like voice as a part of her public persona, but now she's dropped the character.

"With my friends and family, I have always spoken in my normal voice," she explains. "It wasn't until a camera would be around, or if I was doing an interview, or if I was a little bit shy, that's when I would do that voice."

Hilton carried that shyness into the studio with her when she recorded her debut album, Paris, which featured the cult classic track Stars Are Blind. Now, 18 years later, she's made her return to music with the release of her sophomore album, Infinite Icon, which was executive produced by Sia.

"I was so nervous because she's like the most incredible vocalist of our time," Hilton says about working with Sia. "But as soon as I got in, I just felt so comfortable with her. She made me feel so safe and she just had me go to places where I never knew I even could…. That was just very empowering just to see that I had so much more in me that I just was afraid to let out."

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