My mum had a very strong moral code, which I kind of came with. I never really had to be told what was right or wrong - I knew. I was very mature from early on and I was a very good girl, so she never had any trouble with me.

My inspirations include the Beatles - love, love, love them - Elton John, Carole King, and Stevie Wonder.

My mom was definitely very strict with me.

Once you know the Romance languages, singing in those languages is so sexy and sensual. I do have a global audience, so why not?

I hold 'Mi Tierra,' my first Spanish-language album, very close to me because that was all done in my native tongue and won me my first Grammy.

We seal our fate with the choices we take, but don't give a second thought to the chances we take.

I'd love to have a program like 'Dr. Laura.' I studied psychology at the University of Miami, and when I rode the bus home from school, perfect strangers would strike up conversations with me and end up telling me their life stories. I think they could sense that I was studying to help people. That, or I have a face like a priest.