My children come first and the career comes in around that.

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.

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

I jog and I roller-skate. I dance - that's the best exercise.

For some reason, my main movie, Lady Sings the Blues, to me really isn't me. I really can let go of Diana Ross when I see the movie. I'm really objective when I'm watching it. I liked that movie so much. That movie was like magic so that when I'm looking at it I'm really not seeing myself, I'm seeing the actress. I'm seeing another person, not the me of me.

You can have a lot of New York and still see what's going on in the rest of the world, I think - like in China.

Being a parent is very important to me.