My fans are grown now. They are not expecting me to do the bubblegum pop I did 20 years ago, even though it was pretty substantive. It was saying more than bubblegum pop says today. I am continuing where I left off.

This has been a long and tiring battle for 10 years. And I'm glad it's finally resolved. My principles and reputation as a creative artist were involved here-it wasn't just about the royalties. I can now look foward to getting on with my career.

I don't mean to sound immodest, but I never had any doubt that I'd be successful, nor any fear of success. I was raised as a little goddess who was told she would be a star.

I didn't have to go to school, graduate and then go, What am I going to do? I knew from the beginning.

I have a pleasant voice, but I have no great range. I will say that I know how to make a song come alive and I guess I do have a sincerity that comes across. But I do alot of things better than sing.

When I act, I act. When I sing, I sing. I don't put one over the other. Entertaining is what I do best.

We have a tendency in this country that when we say Black it automatically means Black Americans. But that's a big mistake, and that keeps us divided. There are Blacks all over this entire world-even in Africa.