Don't go backwards - you've already been there.

I can't help what I sound like. What I sound like is what i am. You know? I cannot be anything other that what I am.

I don't think any of us really knows why we're here. But I think we're supposed to believe we're here for a purpose.

I had to pawn my clothes just to pay my rent.

Do it right or don't do it at all. That comes from my mom. If there's something I want to do, I'm one of those people that won't be satisfied until I get it done. If I'm trying to sing something and I can't get it, I'm going to keep at it until I get where I want it.

My music had roots which I'd dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil.

I'm not a jazz singer, blues singer or country singer. I'm a singer that can sing rhythm & blues, that can sing jazz, that can sing country. There's a big difference. In other words, I'm not a specialist.