There are all kinds of things that can be done. You can change rhythms, you can change chords, you can change whole concepts. But it will only work, on a record or in a performance, if you can make the people buy it.

You can't help it. An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times.

I feel more alive now than I ever have in my life. I have a chance to live, as I've dreamed.

When I was studying... there weren't any black concert pianists. My choices were intuitive, and I had the technique to do it. People have heard my music and heard the classic in it, so I have become known as a black classical pianist.

I would like you to know, I am a doctor of music.

I believe the time will come when the whole definition of pop music will change. It will get to the point where a song will not be a good song until it has a high level of creativity in writing and performance. In other words, in order to be popular, songs will have to meet these high standards.

That's a very high goal to have, study eight hours a day to be a concert pianist.