(Photo:  Marie Claire, May 2011)

Girlfriend can work a mic and a camera!

Amber Riley joins Glee co-stars Lea Michele and Dianna Agron on the May 2011 cover of Marie Claire and inside the soul singer and actress sheds a little light on her pre-Glee days, gushing about her two-year stint as an Ikea customer service rep, and her extracurricular life from school. “I had such a life outside of class,” she noted.  “I was involved in drama club, gospel choir, theater. I took dance classes, jazz, opera classes — anything that had to do with music. My friends called me 'Hollywood' because they said I'd be famous.”

The girl is talented and shines as Mercedes Jones on Glee. “Mercedes and I share confidence, but I would never dress that way!” she admits. “I also never had her insecurities about weight — I was skinny in high school — but I love that now I get to show girls how to be comfortable with their bodies.”