Susan Boyle is not your typical music artist. She may not look the part, but her voice is amazing and she has a huge fan base. Susan has been open about her struggles with Asperger’s Syndrome since she was diagnosed with it. She often finds it hard to perform and has admitted to getting nervous and throwing tantrums. Luckily, she doesn’t struggle with the syndrome once she is on stage.

“It never happens on stage,” Boyle told the Daily Mail. “Off stage, well, it happens lots. It always has. But I’m getting better at dealing with it because I know what it is. If I feel I’m going to take a mood swing, I get up and leave. … 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.”

Boyle has admitted to having outbursts, crying spells and being awkward around people. She said that her Asperger’s Syndrome can make her career extremely difficult, but said that she is trying to deal with it and feels like it might be getting easier.

Susan Boyle: My battle with Asperger’s syndrome after finally being diagnosed http://t.co/EWa9TwKTgX pic.twitter.com/BVbOOu1esM

— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) November 15, 2014

“I’m the only artist who needs a leash! I’m King Kong’s mother!” she said about her behavior. “I feel a sense of panic, not wanting to be there. I get depressed. I just go away, be myself. Then I come back to you. I always come back.”

Boyle said that she hopes she can overcome Asperger’s Syndrome even more than she already has, and also hopes to remove the stigma associated with the disorder.

“The thing is not to be nervous,” she said. “If you let me see you’re not afraid of me, you’ve got it. 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.”

Boyle is currently touring in the United States.