Celebrity Celebrity Belief & Identity Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Still Hasn’t Unboxed Her Golden Globe After 2022 Win: 'Imposter Syndrome Is Very Real' (Exclusive) "I just keep it in the box just to keep myself humble, but now I think it's time to just put her up," Rodriguez tells PEOPLE of her 2022 award By Liza Esquibias Liza Esquibias Liza Esquibias is an Editorial Intern at PEOPLE. She is a rising senior majoring in Journalism at Pepperdine, where she is the editor-in-chief of the school's magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 13, 2024 06:13PM EDT Michaela Jaé Rodriguez may be making history, but she’s staying humble. In an exclusive interview for this week's PEOPLE in 10, the Pose star, 33, sits down to talk about her upcoming music, pride month and recent acting projects. As the first transgender woman to receive a primetime Emmy nomination and win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in 2022, Rodriguez has lived a lot of life the past few years. “I would say looking back and finally getting a chance to speak to my younger self, I would probably encourage them,” she shares. “But more than anything, warn them. Like, just get ready for what's about to come, because it's going to be big, it's going to be great, it's a lot of responsibility but you can do it and more.” Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Shares How She Found 'Diamond' Boyfriend Stephen Gimigliano After Dating Around: 'There's A Lot of Trash Out There' (Exclusive) When she reflects on all her accomplishments, the singer admits she hasn’t fully processed the gravity of her success. She reveals her record-setting Golden Globe is still sitting in a box somewhere waiting to be displayed two years later. “I have not taken her out of the box yet,” Rodriguez confesses. “I was just so astounded that I had even gotten an award that I hadn't taken time to really address the severity of how important and how historic it was.” She adds: “I just keep it in the box just to keep myself humble, but now I think it's time to just put her up.” 'Pose' Star Mj Rodriguez Opens Up About New Music Video and Paving the Way for Young Trans Artists Rodriguez says part of the reason she has a hard time giving herself credit is because of her “imposter syndrome,” which is a condition when someone feels doubt and anxiety about whether they truly deserved their accomplishments. “It's a huge thing I still struggle with,” she explains. “I’m always trying to one up myself. I'm always trying to do better, when in reality, I mean obviously, we always need to take some time to smell the roses.” Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. Monica Schipper/Getty The Loot actress admits that she doesn’t stop to smell the roses often enough because she is always focused on how she can do more. This holds her back from being able to give herself recognition for what she has already done. “I'm always trying to figure out what's next that needs to happen to influence a group of people to make them feel better, to make them feel uplifted,” she says. “But I also realize I am only one person and I can't do everything. Imposter syndrome is a very real thing. I’m working on it.” 'Pose' 's Mj Rodriguez Reacts to Her Historic Golden Globes Win: This 'Is Going to Open the Door' While she loves to give to others, she reveals there is one person she worked with on American Horror Story whose advice she really values: Emma Roberts. “We both have boyfriends and we talk about our boyfriends in obviously positive lights, and we have given some great advice to each other, so I’d definitely take some advice from her,” she says. Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (left) and Emma Roberts (right). Stefanie Keenan/Getty; Michael Buckner/WWD/Getty Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Her next big move is an album coming out later this year. On Thursday, June 13, her first song of the collection, called “I Am” — which has taken six years to create — was released, and Rodriguez says it is the perfect song for Pride month. “It's been a long process, a wonderful process, but a long one,” she laughs. “I feel like this is the rollout that I've always wanted for the album that is going to be coming.” She describes her upcoming music as “new,” “innovative” and “something that we've never heard before.”