I like Beyonce's music - some of it, not all of it.

I remember singing around the house to records that were playing. All kinds of music. And the great James Cleveland was often in our house, and I grew up with his sound as well.

Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It's transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It's uplifting, it's encouraging, it's strengthening.

Be your own artist, and always be confident in what youre doing. If youre not going to be confident, you might as well not be doing it.

I love producing, writing. I rarely write with other writers unless I have a real great respect for them. Like Burt Bacharach, or Carole Sager, or Stevie Wonder. Somebody like Smokey - like that. Otherwise, I choose to write alone.

I don't feel one's personal medical condition is everybody's business. It just isn't something you advertise, and it's not open to discussion.

We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It's our basic human right.