I was blown away by the control and the range that I was hearing. I'm listening to Pavarotti and thinking, What the hell have I been doing with my voice all these years?
When I was invited to sing with Pavarotti, I had about two weeks to learn Italian.
Sinatra, here's a guy who plays a tough guy in all his movies, but was allowed to be vulnerable when he stepped up to the microphone.
I have friends who've tried to break into the UK, who went back with their tails between their legs. Fortunately I've had the opposite experience.
To sing along with Stevie Wonder, you had to make your voice do things it was not accustomed to doing.
I'm proud of my mentors. Ray Charles is the strongest influence on me as a singer.
