I never had that thing about being black. If the whole world was like that, maybe there would be more harmony and love.

For me the goddess is the female of God, She is powerful if different.

I kind of felt I left a good message and memory with the people in terms of my work, and I always felt with a good record, I could always come back.

I never said Well, I don't have this and I don't have that. I said, I don't have this yet, but I'm going to get it.

I think there are people that still hold on that like Heavy Metal like a bit of what is going on now, but it isn't all of what they love and which goes on and it's the same with me... There's still a lot of Ray Charles, Sam Cooke songs that I still happen to like a lot, but then there are a lot of Madonna and... a lot of the female singers that I like as well, but it's like liking it with different emotions, you know.

I don't want to act just to be on the screen doing anything and looking any kind of way.

The choice that I made was from my best music, for the songs that I knew that the public liked. Then, when I recorded my new songs I found that my old material had not faded, it was still current, the music was good and the songs were great. I sat in my house and listened, got the chills, and I thought, how great is that? It hasn't dated, it hasn't gone anywhere, and it's great.