Davis recalled telling her grandmother at age 4 that she was a girl and walking around the house in her sister's high heels. In high school, she found her place in theater and went to cast parties wearing lipstick and heels. In college, she performed in drag—her first song was "I'm Every Woman"—and liked people viewing her as a woman. She tried to fight the idea of transitioning and fell into a deep depression, self-medicating with drugs and alcohol.