The thrill of performing - that's something that hasn't changed for me. That simultaneous joy of creating something and sharing it with an audience - it's the same now as it was then, when it was just my cousins' birthday party.
Immediate, simultaneous connection between the audience and a performer is crucial to me. It's why I do what I do. Other things, like recording, are satisfying, but they're not the same. I love the connection I get with the audience when I'm sitting behind that piano.
I always saw myself as a singer-songwriter, a solo-artist, that's why working with other artists was never satisfying for me.
The only thing is, with me - this may sound weird - there are a lot of R&B singers from that era that I actually don't know. Like, I never grew up on Boyz II Men.
I was born and raised on 'Singin' in the Rain.' It's in my work. It's in me.
I love singin' in the car, it just makes me feel good.
The thing of playin' and singin' never bothered me.
I am beyond thrilled to be hitting the road with 'Singin' in the Rain.' As a huge fan of the original movie, the chance to bring this story to life on stage is something I couldn't pass up, and it'll be great visiting some of the beautiful theatres on the tour; some I've been to previously; some are going to be a brand new experience for me.
When I was 12 and started to take singing lessons from a woman, she told me that I would probably spend the rest of my life taking care of my voice.
I came from a very musical family, so I grew up singing karaoke with the family. My family said 'do this' and brought me to singing lessons. I had always been writing poems and songs.
My mother gave me singing lessons; that was totally painful, because I couldn't do what she wanted to hear. She used to say: there's more there, there's more voice but I just didn't want to give it to her.
My mother had a gorgeous singing voice, and she'd play these amazing vinyls. My favorite was 'But Not for Me,' on the 1954 album 'Chet Baker Sings.'
My singing voice is very specific to me. That's my natural voice when I sing.
I love single life! Why would it be boring? I mean, I get to travel around and have loads of girls screaming at me, so it's definitely not boring. However, it can get lonely on the road, but I'm sorted I've got good people around me.
I spent my whole single life trying to be thin just to find someone who'd love me once I got fat.
Evolution is fascinating to watch. To me it is the most interesting when one can observe the evolution of a single man.
I've heard countless women - but not a single man - say to me, 'I could never stand up before the Supreme Court; it would be way too stressful.' But I've heard countless men, and very few women, say to me, 'I would love to argue in front of the Court; that would be so exciting.'
I grew up in the city of Detroit, where a lot of people didn't have work opportunities, but they were good, hard-working people, including I had a single mom who took care of me and my brother.
My mother was a single mom, and she was a claims adjuster at an insurance company. She actually dropped out of school - she was going to become a registered nurse - because she had to take care of me and my brother.
My mother's a Peruvian Indian from Lima who raised me and my four brothers and sisters as a single mom.
