Take a little time out of your busy day to give encouragement to someone who's lost their way.

I'm not really a songwriter - I'm an interpreter. So in a sense I am an actress first and foremost. I act out the songs, and I lead with my heart.

You know, you do need mentors, but in the end, you really just need to believe in yourself.

Do you know where you going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to? Do you know?

I'm from a singing family, but they're not professional singers, only gospel - my grandfather was a minister. I started to sing the music that was out then because my mother used to play it all the time. It was the end of the '50s, the beginning of the '60s. There was Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers, Etta James... We used to sit outside on the stoop and sing. We even used to put our radios and record players outside.

I don't have to sit around and wait for the next movie to come along, I can go out and sing.

I've never been damaged or hurt by press. It's just that I think it's unfair to use your name in media.