My mother was a jazz fanatic and she wanted me to play the piano so I could play jazz tunes. I wish I had learned but I was too busy getting into trouble!

I sing the songs that people need to hear.

A few years ago, I thought, I'll never make it. I started to go to the doctor to help me lose weight.

What happens is, when I perform, I'm somewhere else. I go back in time and get in touch with who I really am. I forget my troubles, my worries.

I was a sloppy kid, wanted to be just wild.

My mother used to play nothing but Billie Holiday.

I’ve learned to live with rage. In some ways, it’s my rage that keeps me going. Without it, I would have been whipped long ago. With it, I got a lot more songs to sing.