For me music is a vehicle to bring our pain to the surface, getting it back to that humble and tender spot where, with luck, it can lose its anger and become compassion again.

At the age of 15 months my daughter was diagnosed with very bad asthma, and essentially I put my career on hold for a good eight years.

I am searching for the truth. Somewhere, it's in the music.

Welcome to the church of me.

But at the age of 44, I sure hope to be a better businesswoman. I want to get the music straight to my fans.

Thank God I have music to vent my emotions. I'd be in a prison if I didn't.

I wanted to be a cheerleader, like my sister was - all the most popular and beautiful girls are cheerleaders and I wanted that, and it demolished this vision of myself. That's when I found the piano, when music saved me; that's when I first attempted to write my own songs.