I still have some very dear friends from school, and we get together whenever possible.

We are all here to be a service to those who can't be a service to themselves. We can give people hope and more reasons for being human.

I try to be cognisant of when and how and what I eat and get as much rest as I possibly can, as that helps the vocal cords.

I look at the careers of people I'm standing on the shoulders of. People like Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., and Sarah Vaughan. These are icons I wanted to emulate, and I feel like they've been holding me up for quite a long time.

I have no desire to look back, I only want to look forward to the things that are still ahead of me.

Before I put on my make up, I say a little prayer for you.

It was step by step that I earned my way into the lives and hearts of people by giving them recordings that I grew to love and as I found my listening audience also grew to love.