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Quotes
A Minor
is one of my all-time favorite keys to play in. It's a very moody key, and
also 'A' is the first letter of my name. It just represents the songs
through my eyes.
And I act the way that I... the same way that I wanna
do in music, and really making emotion to come across. That's definitely
the same affect that I wanna have on film.
And I love kick boxing. It's a lot of fun. It gives you
a lot of confidence when you can kick somebody in the head.
And I'm an evolving person.
And I'm happy that I'm not super skinny.
And when I was in Europe, we did a show with Phil
Collins.
Anthony Hamilton, especially, is somebody I really
respect.
But as a woman, my job is to make you work as hard as
possible so I can really see where your head is at.
But when I first fell in love with the piano, I knew it
was me. I was dying to play.
Funny enough, today I was in my dressing room, and I
was... I've been messing around with this melody for a while, but today
was the day when I came up with the music for it.
Growing up, we didn't have anybody but each other to
survive in the city.
I am a woman who's evolving, still growing a lot, still
searching a lot.
I feel like B sides are always better, no matter whose
record it is.
I had a New Kids washcloth that when submerged in hot
water turned different colors.
I had to do all these dreaded scales, and out of the
blue, I'd become exhausted.
I have made phone calls to men I fancy and I will make
the phone call again. It always works - always.
I knew I wanted it to be in a diary form, because
that's the way I write my music.
I like Malibu - coconut rum and pineapple juice.
Something nice and ladylike.
I like my hair braided because it can be any design and
style that I want. And it's pretty and it's different.
I like somebody who has an, like an aura, like a
special aura that definitely has some confidence in there. And somebody
who has a close relationship with his mother and who treats women well.
I like somebody who is ambitious, who is very
strong-minded but still sensitive, and I like somebody who knows how to
talk and how to listen.
I lived with my mom in a really small apartment. My
bedroom was like in the living room. That's why I still love to sleep on
couches now.
I love my own music.
I love Outkast's record. I love how they stretch the
boundaries. I love that in an artist.
I love the written word so much, I know it's gonna flow
naturally.
I love U2.
I loved grand pianos and small pianos, too.
I promised myself that I'd never actually admit to
listening to New Kids on the Block.
I really like to live my life in a low-key fashion.
I recently received, as a gift, a photo of Janis Joplin
and Tina Turner onstage at Madison Square Garden.
I run in the spring and summer months. It clears my
head.
I see what happens when one gets very attached to
material things. That's just not what my life is.
I tend to like a man who's a little bit older than I
am.
I was with people who were Indian and Spanish, people
who were Italian.
I went through prejudices and all, surely.
I would hate to make music and people love me for
something that isn't me.
I Would say that I'm a simple person.
I'd rather not have anything than be a liar.
I'm a giving person, and I like to see people really
happy.
I'm a person who's learning a lot. Always and forever
learning.
I'm a very caring person.
I'm an Old School junky. Miles, Nina Simone, Aretha
Franklin, Gladys Knight, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder.
I'm like wine, you know? I just get sweeter!
I'm not ashamed of what I am and that I have curves and
that I'm thick, t like my body.
I'm very happy with my body.
I've always been strong-minded, but I wonder.
If I didn't love it, I would not record it.
It was just so easy for me because my hair is, like
it's crazy. It has a mind of its own. It doesn't lie down and if I try to
wear it straight, it doesn't stay because it's frizzy.
It's not until I hear songs that I've done, that I
realize how much of an inspiration music from the '60s and '70s has been.
It's the way I explain to myself honestly what I feel,
because I'm good at putting on a smile.
Like there'll be a moment where it's really, really
personal. It's almost like me and you, and we're alone and I'm just
playing. Then there'll be another moment where it just gets crazy and the
energy rises. I love to show those different sides of myself.
My life is rich because I have those kinds of people in
my life.
My mom is definitely my rock.
My mother is an actress, and she used to drag me from
theater to theater and reading to reading.
New York is so diverse and there are so many different
types of people. People couldn't care less what you are.
Not because I'm trying to be fabulous, but I love those
big crazy Jackie O shades.
One time I was actually in Ohio and I was young and I
got my first taste of that kind of racial thing.
Or if I'd dreamt a song and I got up to play, I'd lay
my head down to think, and boom, it was morning.
People are dying to hear me say that there was a crazy
amount of pressure and I was suffering under the weight on my shoulders,
but I didn't feel like that.
Simplicity makes me happy.
So there were plenty of times I woke up at the piano.
Sometimes I've gotten photographs back and people have
literally shaven off pieces of me, and I tell them to put it back.
Soul music is timeless.
Stevie Wonder's records introduced me to '70s soul when
I was 12 or 13.
The last thing I want is to walk into my house after a
long day and see all the Grammys and awards. It would make me feel weird.
The most fun about parties is that second you have to
check somebody out that you're really feelin'.
There is a special man in my life. And it's my secret.
There's somebody 20 years from now that's gonna
discover Curtis Mayfield for the first time and is going to be wildly
inspired.
Therefore, I may challenge your musical expertise by
introducing different styles, like a very early jazz record. If you find
that sexy, that might make you more sexy.
This is just who I am and I'm happy that this is what
people loved and accepted me for.
What makes me feel good are the simple things in life,
like somebody I can really talk to, when I'm not concerned about whether
they are going to betray me.
When I was younger, I was exploring different sides of
life.
When I was younger, studying classical music, I really
had to put in the time. Three hours a day is not even nice - you have to
put in six.
With my band, we're out for a long time, playing these
songs and playing these songs and playing these songs!
Oh My God, the hip-hop
videos! The imagery is so awful! I just can't get with it at all. The best
thing I can say about it is that sometimes you have to see that kind of
stuff so as to have a more balanced view about why it's so bad.
I always want to stay
focused on who I am, even as I'm discovering who I am.
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