I'm a car singer in fact sometimes I pretend to take my dog out for a walk and I'll just drive him around and start singin'.

I love singin' in the car it just makes me feel good.

Like all soul singers I grew up singing in church but sometimes I would leave early and sit in the car listening to gospel band The Blind Boys of Alabama. Hearing their lead singer Clarence made me connect the idea of church and show business and see how I could make a career singing music that stirred the soul.

I always loved music. You know my parents said I started singing when I was 4 in the car.

I don't want a flashy car just something that would allow me to stop using the Tube. And it would be good not to have to rely on my mum all the time particularly when I have to listen to her singing in her car.

When I was really little I would sit in the back of my dad's car when he'd be playing old-school music. He'd turn down the music and turn around and I'd be singing and know all of the words but I didn't even know how to talk. From then on I've always wanted to be a singer.

I remember driving to North Carolina when I was a little girl in a snowstorm to get down to my mom's family in the Carolinas. There were chains on the car - it was the late sixties - and we were just singing in the car. Christmas carols.

I get uncomfortable when people give me presents and watch me open them. I don't have birthday parties because the idea of a group of people singing and looking at me while I'm blowing out candles gives me hives.

The only thing better than singing is more singing.

I remember when the candle shop burned down. Everyone stood around singing 'Happy Birthday.'

The first show I ever did singing and dancing was 'Beauty and the Beast.' I was playing Gaston. Gaston has red tights knee high boots and it's very physical. I had headaches every day for two months.

It's so amazing standing on the corner -this happened in Washington D.C. - and somebody comes by in a Cadillac and you hear 'Manic Monday' on the radio and you don't even know this person and they're listening to it and singing along with it. Wow! Blows your mind.

It's so amazing to hear a crowd of people singing one of your songs. It's the best feeling.

It's amazing when you're playing to a crowd who barely understands English but they're singing parts of your song back to you.

When you're doing the traditional musicals singing songs that are 40 and 50 years old you realize there's a reason why those musicals are hits. These are amazing songs!

I get to travel around the world and meet all of these amazing people and they're singing my songs! And to me that's crazy.

The real amazing thing about all of this is I think I've maintained the mentality of a musician throughout it all which I'm proudest of. And I'm still playing on people's records and singing on people's records.

Singing really is acting. In a lot of ways it's much more personal. I love music and being able to work on that is amazing.

You have to respect your audience. Without them you're essentially standing alone singing to yourself.

Another thing I like to do is sit back and take in nature. To look at the birds listen to their singing go hiking camping and jogging and running walking along the beach playing games and sometimes being alone with the great outdoors. It's very special to me.

The hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden a dim twilight and a fountain singing to it. You and you alone make me feel that I am alive. Other men it is said have seen angels but I have seen thee and thou art enough.