The whole industry evolves around a great song

The bigger you are, the harder they come down on you

I like the simple 'I love your work' letters. You never get sick of people's appreciation. They think they're troubling you, but it's lovely people associate my songs with certain moments in their lives.

We used to call it recurrent airplay when someone had a hit

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

It's understanding the intention of a composer that allows a producer and an arranger to make those moments speak

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