I love energy and people; gosh I love people even when they got on my nerves.

I study a lot of the greats; I study the current people out now and what people are listening to now. I don't shun anything away; I just check it all out and make my own judgment.

I am very proud of Zendaya for standing up for herself, her generation and her ancestors. Her response was classy. Locs are a lifestyle for some and for others an artistic fashion statement..In either case, the images express power, natural beauty, and a boldness that always stands out. It is when you truly spend time with a person that you know who they really are on the inside, and not by what you see on the outside.

I've had great people come in my life, meaning not just men, but women, support me and empower me. So that has lifted me to be the woman I am.

So in every sense, from an independent artist to a major label artist, you just have to have great product, great faith and great people, they all go together.

Know the business you're in for whatever you do, know it and understand how it works so you can be successful.

I'm always doubting because I've been told so much that, you're not the right look or you're not the right sound, and, you know, whether I do jazz or R&B there are always complaints.