Susan Boyle has always been described as eccentric or unpredictable. She used to chalk it up to brain damage due to being starved from oxygen at birth. That is, until she was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome just last year. In a lengthy interview with The Daily Mail, the singer talked about her struggle with Asperger’s, which is a form of autism. “I’m the only artist who needs a leash! I’m King Kong’s mother!” Boyle said about her condition which makes her susceptible to wild mood swings.

Boyle adds, “Off stage, [my bad behavior] happens lots. It always has. But I’m getting better at dealing with it because I know what it is.” Oddly enough, the singer confessed that performing provides a respite to her troubles. “It never happens on stage. It seems to make me feel better. When I’m up on stage, even if I’ve had a bad day, I can become a different person. I feel safe. I don’t feel judged up there. I feel accepted.”

‘I’m King Kong’s mother’ Susan Boyle opens up about her struggle with Asperger’s syndrome http://t.co/zX2iPZGChB pic.twitter.com/xeUbEIqGyy

— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) November 16, 2014

Ever since the diagnosis, Boyle has found ways to deal with her condition. “If I feel I’m going to take a mood swing, I get up and leave. I’ve learnt that is the only way,” she said in the interview after a particularly bad episode. She hopes that talking about it will take away the stigma from the condition. “People with Asperger’s do put a barrier up because they don’t know how to trust people. I try not to. I want to let people in.”

It seems that Boyle has a perfect grasp on how to live despite being diagnosed with with Asperger’s. According to Boyle, “It’s a very difficult subject to talk about because you always feel that eyes are on you, and people view you as different. I like to see myself as someone with a problem, but one I can solve. It is definitely getting better.”

Boyle recently embarked on a successful US tour and she will be putting out her new album Hope on November 24.