Happy that New York passed marriage equality tonight. A victory for human rights. Progress.

Now that I'm coming out with my own record people can see I'm a solo artist.

Soul is about authenticity. Soul is about finding the things in your life that are real and pure.

I would tell myself, "Love yourself and don't be afraid to take risks." I was often afraid to take risks, socially, because I was young and a little more shy and still figuring out who I wanted to be. Sometimes I look back and think, "I should have just been bolder and more confident."

There are more black men incarcerated today than there were slaves in 1850.

I know when things feel a little, like, intrusive and when they don't. I don't have a lot to hide. But I do sometimes think, don't share everything.

If you want the film [La La Land ] to represent all things jazz, it does not. You'll be disappointed by that. But, if you just see it as one guy's point of view, one filmmaker's point of view, and one story among many stories that can be told about jazz, then it's not as much of an issue.