Photos by Carter Smith/Courtesy Jane magazine

Mandy Moore has been lying low since splitting with her boyfriend of a year and a half, Scrubs star Zach Braff, last June.

But in the February issue of Jane, a dude-straddling Moore opens up about depression, officially leaves pop music behind, and explains why she doesn't like dating (don't tell this to Adam "DJ A.M." Goldstein who's been squiring Moore around Hollywood the last several weeks).

Overall, the 22-year-old singer-actress reveals herself to be down-to-earth and completely relatable -- until it gets to the part about her waking up at 7 a.m. every day. Interview excerpts below:

On having a quarter-life crisis:
“I’ve been going through this really crazy time in my life – it’s what I imagine people fresh out of college go through. I’m asking myself life-altering questions like, ‘Who am I? Where do I fit in this world? What am I doing, what do I want to do? Am I living to my full potential?”

On her early albums:
“I feel bad that people wasted their money on such trite, blah pop music.”

On being depressed:
“A few months ago, I felt really low, really sad. Depressed for no reason. I’m a very positive person, and I’ve always been glass half-full. So it was like someone flipped a switch in me.”

On breaking up with Zach Braff:
“The breakup added to what I was going through, but it’s not the complete reason. It definitely doesn’t help if you’re already in that place..."

On leaving pop music behind:
“I could’ve made a record a year ago with the same people who do everybody’s records. But I’m super-proud that I stuck to my guns. You don’t have to follow the mainstream. I love pop music but it’s not right for me.”

On dating:
“I’ve tried dating a bit, and I don’t like it. I know I should be putting myself out there. But I don’t really think it’s for me. That’s not to say I’m ready to jump back into a relationship any time soon. I’m definitely not looking. But it would be fun to have a crush.”

On why she doesn’t drink:
“I’m a control freak, and I think maybe that’s why. I’m too scared to see what will happen. I’ve been drunk maybe two or three times in my life, although I do like to have a glass of wine before going into the studio, to mellow me out.”

On her image:
“I kind of am a goody-goody. But I’m not judgmental. I’ve done a couple of movies [A Walk to Remember, Saved] where I’ve played Christian characters, so people assume I’m very religious. It’s not a completely correct perception of who I am.”

On the future:
“I’m still figuring it all out, but I want to be extraordinary. I want to live up to my full potential. I’ve always been really shy, very ‘don’t look at me.’ I’ve wanted to hide. But now I don’t want to hide.”

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