Beyonce is opening up about her decision to keep certain parts of her personal life hidden from the public.

In an interview with Harper’s BAZAAR for their September cover story, the singer explained why she’s always been so private.

“I’m grateful I have the ability to choose what I want to share,” Beyonce, 39, told the magazine. “One day I decided I wanted to be like Sade and Prince. I wanted the focus to be on my music, because if my art isn’t strong enough or meaningful enough to keep people interested and inspired, then I’m in the wrong business. My music, my films, my art, my message — that should be enough.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve been intentional about setting boundaries between my stage persona and my personal life,” she continued. “My family and friends often forget the side of me that is the beast in stilettos until they are watching me perform. It can be easy to lose yourself very quickly in this industry. It takes your spirit and light, then spits you out. I’ve seen it countless times, not only with celebrities but also producers, directors, executives, etc. It’s not for everyone. Before I started, I decided that I’d only pursue this career if my self-worth was dependent on more than celebrity success.”

“I’ve surrounded myself with honest people who I admire, who have their own lives and dreams and are not dependent on me,” Beyonce added. “People I can grow and learn from and vice versa.”

The “Crazy in Love” singer said that she’s had to “fight” to protect her privacy.

“In this business, so much of your life does not belong to you unless you fight for it,” Beyonce explained. “I’ve fought to protect my sanity and my privacy because the quality of my life depended on it.”

Since she keeps so much of her life private, the 25-time Grammy winner noted that some people may wrongly assume she’s “closed off.” However, Beyonce said it’s simply that the public only knows what she wants them to.

“A lot of who I am is reserved for the people I love and trust,” she said. “Those who don’t know me and have never met me might interpret that as being closed off. Trust, the reason those folks don’t see certain things about me is because my Virgo a– does not want them to see it….It’s not because it doesn’t exist!”