Lea Michele: My insane love for Cory Monteith morphed into strength

If Lea Michele’s new interview in Teen Vogue comes across as casual and revealing, it’s likely because the Glee star was speaking with her best friend Jonathan Groff.

“In this lifetime, if there is anything you need, it’s a best friend,” Lea said, reflecting on the relationship she and Jonathan shared since co-starring in Broadway’s Spring Awakening.

^ Lea and Jonathan for Spring Awakening and Teen Vogue.

Although their friendship remained strong after they left the still-running show, Lea and Jonathan grew closer after Cory Monteith tragically overdosed. In the months since then, Jonathan observed that Lea has presented herself “in such a classy way.” Lea attributed this to the confidence she gets from knowing Cory’s looking out for her.

“I somehow feel the insane love Cory and I had for each other morphed into this strength that I have right now,” Lea said. “There’s just something about knowing he’s watching everything I’m doing and feeling like I have to do everything now not just for me but for him.”

With Glee coming to an end after its sixth season, Lea is looking ahead to the next stage of her career. First up is her debut solo album, Louder.

“During Glee, I felt like I was scratching that itch of being an artist. I was at a great place in my life and I was so unbelievably happy — my relationship with Cory made me feel like I could reach for the stars and more. So I was like, ‘I’m going to challenge myself and do this record now,'” she said. “It’s me. It’s Lea. It’s not Rachel Berry. It’s not Lea on Broadway.”

She added Cory was “such a fan,” particularly of Battlefield and Burn With You. He also encouraged Lea whenever her confidence wavered.

“He would be like, ‘You’re going to be a pop star! What are we going to do? Are we going to, like, go on the road?’ He would say, ‘This is going to be big!’ And I’d be like, ‘I don’t know.’ He heard every song and gave me his notes on everything.”

Louder is set for release on March 4.