My father worked hard, but we were still very poor; and I didn't want anybody arguing about money, so I became the entertainer, the one who wanted everyone to be happy. I didn't want there to be any problems.

One thing you cannot control is nature.

I listen to most everything that's out there because I need to stay aware of what's happening in the industry.

Discipline is a necessary tool to help you get what you want in life. It forces you to stay on center and to move away from the things that are not necessary.

Being a parent is very important to me.

I try to choose the songs that really are basically coming from my heart. I think that through the songs that I select, people know what's going on in my life.

I don't judge people by their sexual orientation or the color of their skin, so I find it really hard to identify someone by saying that they're a gay person or a black person or a Jewish person.