I dont think being black has held me back at all. Being black makes you strong.

If you have your own agenda and your own style and you don't easily conform to what the masses are doing, you're looked upon as being difficult. Whereas, I think of it as just being an individual.

I'm used to getting up at 7, getting breakfast, getting the kids off to school, and doing the mommy thing and the wife thing and the daughter thing.

When you're away for a long time, tastes change, fans move on. You hate to think about it, but it's an ugly fact of life.

I need my career. That's what validates me.

My father worked on assembly lines in Detroit while I was growing up. Every day, I watched him do what he needed to do to support the family. But he told me, 'Life is short. Do what you want to do.'

I'm in love, sweet love. Feel me calling out your name, I feel no shame.