Its a combination of melody and lyrics, not one without the other. Its a confluence of these different elements that makes something powerful.

Whoever best serves the song is going to be served by the song

I'm pretty irreverent. There is a lot of need to find humour in life. Although I'd never be as disrespectful to laugh at someone's expense.

Black music has increased my enjoyment of what I do. It has increased my range, my ability to reach into myself and accept myself.

No matter how great we get with digital formats of instrumentation, nothing really quite duplicates the real thing

When I started studying for the arias it was like going into training for a heavyweight title fight

But I'm not superstitious. I don't really eat dinner before I go on stage, because digesting a lot of food kind of shuts you down. And I try not to get involved in emotional conversations with anyone beforehand either, so I've got a clear head.