I Can Look At A Fur And

I Didn't Think I Had A Voice At All, And I Still Think Of Myself As An Interpreter Of Songs More Than A Singer. I Thought It Was Too Deep; People Thought I Was A Man. I Had A Very Strong Jamaican Accent, Too; The Accent Really Messed Me Up For Auditions.

I Loved All Those Classic Figures From The '30s And '40s... Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth. They Had Such Glamour And Style. I Loved The Movies Of Those Times Too - So Much Attention Paid To Details, Lights, Clothing, The Way The Studios Would Develop Talent.

I Don't Collaborate. You're Born Alone, You Die Alone, You Get On Stage Alone.

In Jamaica We Had The English Way Of Schooling From The Age Of Four, So When I Got To America I Was Already A Few Years Advanced Because I Started School At The Age Of Three-and-a-half Rather Than Six And My Grades Moved Up Accordingly. In America, They Start You At School At Six Because The Grades Are Different. I Had To Take A Test And They Didn't Know What To Do With Me. It Wasn't That I Was Any Smarter; I Had Just Started Younger. All Of A Sudden I Was Jumped From Eighth To Tenth Grade. They Said I Was Very Smart, But I Was Only Smart In Languages, Really.

I Came From A Very Strict Background, And Didn't Hear Any Jamaican Music When I Was Growing Up.