The reason why you don't see people looking like me is because I don't encourage that. I encourage you to be you.

Whenever I think about funk music, it has a look - and that's how it sounds.

Artists need some kind of stimulating experience a lot of times, which crystallizes when you sing about it or paint it or sculpt it. You literally mold the experience the way you want. It's therapy.

I've had two children. I've had three boyfriends. I've had a lot of things happen that can change your opinions and values and philosophies.

I got a call from a mutual friend of ours, Charles King, who's also the executive producer. [Steven Caple Jr and I] had a conversation about it. I read it. We kind of finished each other's sentences when it came to the nuances and personality flaws that the character had, and some stereotypes and things we were trying to stay away from. We agreed on that as well. He just kind of allowed me to run rampant with the ideas. As we paced ourselves through, we developed Turquoise.

I feel like I haven't done anything. What have I done? I've just made a few records.

I started performing at two or three on a tape recorder, one of those little flat recorders where you just push play and record.