Singers

"Si el vino está bien, todo está bien, y si está mal, da lo mismo, con tal de que sea vino..."

"Yo no voy al cine, porque primero juzgo el 'making off'. Yo veo los 'trailers' y el 'así se hizo' en televisión. Con eso ya tengo bastante."

"Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting so many around the world. Autism is not mental illness, these children and adults think differently. Albert Einstein they say was autistic. How many in the audience know that there are 38,000 autistic people in Sri Lanka? So we as entertainers, urge you all to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.’ Lets spread awareness of autism, particularly when numbers of autistic children are rising and we urge our government to also provide public services – who knows we may even produce Albert Einsteins if we provide education, health, specialist speech therapy for autistic children in our lovely island...."

"Who the hell is huntin' you? In the BMW How the hell they find you? 1 4 7'd you Feds gonna get you Pull the strings on the hood One Paranoid you Blazing through the Hood."

"I bongo with my Lingo, Beat it like a wing yo From Congo to Columbo, Can't sterotype my thing yo"

"Can I get Control? Do you like me Vulnerable? I'm armed and I'm equal More fun for the people..."

"All I want to do is [gunshots, cash register ring sounds] take your money... No one on the corner has swagga like us Hit me on the banner prepaid wireless We pack and deliver like UPS trucks Already going hell just pumping that gas."

"Do you know that cost of AKs Up in Africa 20 dollars ain't shit to you But that's how much they are So they gonna use the shit just to get far"

"I'm here to paint what's written on your face Cause these are the days We are losing our ways To find better ways To say what nobody says"

"Yeah manmade power Stood like a tower Higher Higher, Hello And the higher you go you feel lower, oh I was close to the edge Staying undercover, staying undercover And with my nose to the ground I found my Sound"

"I think I'm the edge finder"

"I think I just kind of thought about all the artists that I really respected throughout the - just any genre of music really and I think everybody that I respected and liked. They were just them. You know, they're people who always stuck to who they were, and were true and honest about who they were. So I think that kind of gave me a real like confidence to just stick at it. Just thinking about people like Bjork - you know, I don't know, Bob Dylan, you know artists that truly were strong in themselves."

"I'm more of a realist, than a theorist"

"I performed at a show at the MoMA. There was this big dinner there, and I was seated in this hall with the mayor of New York and all these extremely wealthy art-supporting and art-buying people. There was a piece of work hanging in the hall-it was a fan. This fan was supposed to swing by the momentum of its own propeller. So, while we were having dinner, the fan was stopped, and the guy next to me, a curator at P.S.1, said, "Look, this is what art symbolizes today." Like, that piece of art is supposed to be moving, but just to have dinner we've stopped the art. That's what New York is like today. You can't have real art happen in an institution because rich people can make the world stop. The stuff on the street is a lot more interesting."

"I used to see songwriting like editing a film or something. You can edit music like you can edit a film. Or if I was painting or making a picture or something, that night I could sit down and write a song. I think it really helps to break things up. Sometimes when you sit down to write songs, you write three or four songs in a row feeling the same sort of vibe. But if you stop in-between that time and change something, you break the pattern – you prevent yourself from unconsciously falling into a format."

"OK, let's go and explore the rest of the world, and how easy is it to put together music through found objects and stuff, and people, and ideas and certain electricity, certain environments."

"Kala is about my mum and her struggle–how do you work, feed your children, nurture them and give them the power of information?"

"I saw firsthand where the music we made ended up. It turned up in sterile bullshit clubs in LA, separated from the spirit we made it in."

"It's important for communities to be put together on a different basis. It's really shitty that we're taught to be really patriotic when 99 percent of the shit that we wear and we use and eat and everything comes from everywhere all the time, and musically, it's the same."

"Nobody wants to be dancing to political songs. Every bit of music out there that’s making it into the mainstream is really about nothing. I wanted to see if I could write songs about something important and make it sound like nothing. And it kind of worked."

"They wanted me to be the face of Coca Cola. I was like 'Wow. Have you guys got any idea what you’re talking about?' Then Pepsi called me the next week. My mother-in-law called me and said 'Oh my God, Maya, they’re offering you so much money."

"I feel like I'm a fucking infomercial for issues around the world this year. I don’t want it to be like that though. I feel like for the first time I'm truly falling in love with music in its own right."

"I was never really affected by it because I don’t have the time to go up to every grime kid and explain the ideology and the lifestyle. It’s too hard....Look at Afrikan Boy, he still has that problem. You have this talent to see something and articulate something new, but you can’t because the arena to do that doesn’t exist. It’s easier to breed movements in England than really support one artist, especially in urban culture."

"I didn't want to make huge political statements; in fact, I hate preachy shit and people saying, 'This is good; this is bad.' I talk about how I see things as an everyday person in England. I was saying things that were a bit controversial, and I wanted to say that there are some opinions that aren't black and white. Things are confusing and complex. If you really want to be a good person, you understand things from all points of view and you are empathetic towards every opinion and every voice. I was like, 'I'm going to make an album about how it's difficult to make sense of living today, and that is added to by the television and the media, the person at my bank and the person at my mobile phone company.' I want to make sense of all those people and what is going on, and that is what I tried to do lyrically, and not provide a manifesto."

"I haven't heard honesty in music for so long and this is how I feel, and this is what I think. You don't even have to say words … I was just being as raw as possible. I wanted to make music that you felt in your gut."

"I feel the reason why I'm really like outspoken and stuff is because all of these things were inflicted upon me, and I never went and caused any trouble, you know? I just feel like I was kind of skipping along in some country and somebody decides to drop a bomb and shake up my life and then it's all been survival from then on. And that's the reality for thousands - and millions - of people today. Why should I get censored for talking about a life that half the time I didn't choose to live?"

"It's good. You know, it's nice coming out and actually meeting all your fans - you make this thing in your bedroom and you don't really know who is going to get it or relate to it or anything, you know? And you just pour your heart out kind of thing, and then you find out you relate to people and that's the final process of it. You know, to meet people who are actually like you and that you connect with, you know what I mean? That's kind of cool. That's the best thing about touring."

"I'm not sure, but music now should be like sonic massage. You want to really feel it, internally. The police [sic] use sound cannons at public protests that explode people’s insides with a single note – human beings have to come up with the opposite of that."

"As soon as I came to England, really, I must have about spent two or three months bouncing around the pop world trying to get an idea of what England was. I wasn't really motivated by anything else. And nothing really inspired me. I was really confused about who I was and where I stood in society, you know what I mean? You come there and you just don't know what the hell is going on. And then I remember the first house we stayed in and I watched 'Top of the Pops' and it was like- woah! It was the first music show that I saw on TV. I saw Madonna, Whitney Houston. It was amazing"

"I have to be true to that - I can't take certain things away. I do have a political background. I’m only in England, learning this language and building a life in this society, because of political reasons. Why would I deny that?"

"My approach to politics is that I never said I'm smart. But why aren't I allowed to write about my experience?"

"No one ever gives those kids the microphone and says, 'Tell us, what the fuck is going on.' They don't show them because none of them know how to talk to you. It took me 20 years to get over here, learn the language, become a pop star and say, 'Finally, I get the microphone!' This is what I was going to say if I got it when I was 10."

"I don't know which is worse. The fact that I saw it in my life has maybe given me lots of issues, but there's a whole generation of American kids seeing violence on their computer screens and then getting shipped off to Afghanistan. They feel like they know the violence when they don't. Not having a proper understanding of violence, especially what it's like on the receiving end of it, just makes you interpret it wrong and makes inflicting violence easier.""

"Google’s more powerful than any government now – people think it’s God. They’re storing all our data and one day they’re going to turn against us."

"The Third World deserves freedom of speech just like everyone else. We want to fight the battle to say what we want, whether to be serious or just make fun of ourselves. That's what "Worldtown" is about, that's what "Paper Planes" is about. It's what people in the third world live through."

"He asked my mum, 'Why would I devote myself to one woman and three children when I could be helping thousands?' She said: 'If you even have to ask that, you should go.'One of those times, when he came home, he didn't even know what I was called."

"I'm here for the people"

"Exactly! Trends picks up issues and makes them so disposable. At the time when I started making my art and my music, terrorism was getting chewed up and spat out by the fashion industry, put on the run way. Face magazine in England was doing fashion shoots with girls holding machine guns and fucking rocket launchers. Yet, when something genuine comes through that, like me, using the same language, it doesn’t apply. That’s what I’m learning because that’s what I’m about. I wanna learn what my limitations are within your value system"

"I call bullshit on any system that holds me down. If the system changed my life the way it did and it totally abused my life and my family, then I’m willing to stand up against it. My goal is to bring people into the system. If I have to use some shocking imagery or if I have to use some honest up-front language to get in and wake people up, so be it. At least, it has sparked up some discussion and young people feel like they have the right to talk. That’s all you can hope for, to induce discussion and then make people feel like they have the right to discuss political issues."

"When I come back to London, I feel really safe and familiar. But sometimes I feel like I'm on standby, waiting to go somewhere else – where something else is happening."

"I can sing about songs with gunshots in the background because I heard them. It's almost like my music has been a way to smoke out the hatred that's been bubbling underneath what's going on in Sri Lanka. If there's 300,000 people who are trapped and they're dying, it should be talked about, it should be brought to the table, and I don't see anything wrong in sticking up for 300,000 dying people."

"GAVRAS: So let’s talk a little bit about being a fashion icon. Do you think, for example, that Saddam Hussein was a fashion icon?"

"M.I.A.: No. My fashion icon is Colonel [Muammar al-] Gaddafi, and he always has been. He’s rock ’n’ roll."

"GAVRAS: Yeah, he’s the best-dressed man on the planet."

"M.I.A.: If he were a pop star, he’d be, like, Prince or something."

"GAVRAS: Well, he’s bigger than a pop star. I mean, when he came to Paris in 2007, he was supposed to stay at the Hôtel de Marigny, which is the best hotel. But Gaddafi came with a tent. It was this huge flagged tent—just him and his army guards, who were all girls. They were in these crazy leopard outfits. I mean, Gaddafi is way better dressed than any pop star in the world."

"M.I.A.: I’d love to raid his wardrobe."

"GAVRAS: I’d love to have his hair. He has very good curly, shiny hair."

"M.I.A.: He looks like he always has gel in it. Hold on. [to taxi driver] Can you pull over, please? I’m at Notting Hill Gate station."

"A. R. Rahman: "She’s a real powerhouse...Somebody played me her CD and I thought, ‘Who is this girl? She came here and knew all my work, had followed my work for ages. I said, ‘Cut the crap, this “my idol” crap. You have to teach me.""

"Aziz Ansari: "I was like a little girl at a John Mayer concert. “She stole my heart, man. It’s too much: the talent, the beauty. It’s more than this little Aziz can take.” I approached M.I.A. after her show, speaking in our native Tamil (“We’ve got a lot in common. Not a big deal.”). I said "Romba Nalla Paatu" which translates to "very good songs". She smiled, got in her car, and left. She didn’t contact me or anything after that. I guess we didn’t exchange information.” “People keep asking if she’s called me and I keep telling them no." [http://niralimagazine.com/2007/04/comedic-giant/"

"Claire Danes: "M.I.A. Sunshowers: It's impossible for me to resist dancing whenever I hear it.""

"Danny Boyle: "When I use somebody's song in a film, I like them to see the movie, if possible, so they know how it's used. She came into the cutting room and watched it. You get a lot of people giving you notes on films when you're making them, and most of them are rubbish, to be honest. People might think they're good. Well, she came in told me the film was very good, but said, "Do you want some notes?" She gave me two specific notes, both of which we included in the film, essentially saying, "If you do that there, you'll understand why he gets on the show." She's very smart.""

"David Hasselhoff: "M.I.A. is one of the hottest things around.""

"Leighton Meester: "I like fun music, too, like M.I.A. She has good things to say.""

"Kat Graham:"

"Mike Nichols: Interviewer: Are you going to the afterparty? Nichols: I don't know, is there another party, after the party? Interviewer: Yeah. After your dinner. Nichols: I didn't know that. I don't think I'm invited. Interviewer: Do you listen to M.I.A.? Nichols: Yes! [at MoMA "Party in the Garden" 2008]"

"Romain Gavras:"

"Ruben Fleischer: "..The principle idea behind M.I.A.'s artwork is to have pretty heavy/political ideas, but to present them in a poppy candy-coated wrapper. So someone might buy her painting because it is pretty to the eye, and not necessarily consider that it is a rebellious image that she is presenting. However, after they've had it for a while, they might start to think - why do I have a pink tank on my wall? … I think that ["Galang"] is a very successful video in that we have true images of revolution playing on MTV. However, because there's lots of pretty colors and a pretty girl dancing, no one blinks an eye. Hopefully we have succeeded in subconsciously starting the revolution." May, 2005 [after directing music video for "Galang"]"

"Spike Jonze: "I met her right before she put out her first record, in 2005, and she insisted she wasn't a musician. To this day, she doesn't consider herself a musician. She has this wide range of talents and influences — she's a Sri Lankan refugee who didn't speak a word of English before she was 10, yet she's also a child of Chuck D and the Pixies and Fight Club and MySpace. There are no borders for her. She made me realize that you don't have to be from the West to have a favorite Biggie song. We are all listening to the same music. Last summer she was performing in Philadelphia, and she showed up at the venue, and it was an armory building. She felt kind of weird about it and decided she wasn't going to perform there unless she acknowledged that, so she found a group of Army veterans against the Iraq war and had them come and speak as her opening act. That's her mission — it's personal and evolving, focused but totally spontaneous. She's always for the underdog. And no matter how many times she's on the Grammys, she'll always see herself as the underdog.""

"Alicia Keys:"

"Amy Lee of Evanescence: "She's so freaking powerful and awesome...I love her voice because it's weird, almost like she doesn't care.""

"Anthony Kiedis: "I'm very keen on M.I.A., I think she's a rocking live performer.""

"Avril Lavigne: "MIA sticking her middle finger out at Super Bowl is obscene? How about almost 50 million Americans living in poverty. That's obscene.""

"Beastie Boys"

"Big Boi of OutKast: "Sooo 2 girls can kiss on TV, but M.I.A can't flip the middle finger, GTFOH""

"Chris Brown: "Was in the studio with the incredible M.I.A and Polow!! Amazing artist! ReAl talent.""

"Christina Aguilera: "I just can't, 'cause I really want you guys to be surprised and to experience firsthand what I'm talking about or what I'm not talking too much about. Too soon in the game, but wrapping everything up now... I got a chance to sort of write with M.I.A. - artists that I really love.""

"Chuck D: "She is the future of music, and the future is here.""

"Feist: "I met Maya Arulpragasam about four or five years ago in England when I was on tour with the rapper Peaches, who was also my roommate. We stayed with Justine Frischmann, from Elastica, and she and Maya were roommates. Maya wasn't making music back then; she was making clothes and videos and art, spray-painting jackets. A couple months ago, I was at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, and I saw her onstage, and it was just amazing. I can't stop listening to her new album, Arular (XL/Beggars U.S.). "Pull Up the People" is a song that's always rotating through my head. I didn't know I needed sunshine-dancehall-booty music until I got her record.""

"Havana Brown (DJ): "I love M.I.A, her music is so unique and brave." (November 2010)"

"James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem: "Yeah, I did [meet her at South by Southwest], she was incredibly sweet and really nice. It was really funny: She played, and I don't know what it sounded like 'cause I was on the side of the stage which just sounds like chaos because you don't hear what the PA's doing. She came off and I introduced myself, "Hi, I'm James, I hear we're doing a buncha shows together," and she said, "Really? You still wanna do shows after that shitty show?" Which I thought was great." May 2005"

"John Legend: "M.I.A. is killing it right now. Great beats. Distinctive voice.""

"Jon McClure of Reverend and the Makers:"

"Justine Frischmann: "In terms of the music scene today, I still think that Maya's work [MIA] is interesting. But I'm the wrong person to ask. I live in rural northern California where there are coyotes wandering in the streets. And I don't own a TV." July 2011"

"Kanye West:"

"Katy Perry: "I love M.I.A., but I don't think she likes me. I know how people who are anti-pop but are really pop feel about popstars" [August 2010, Rolling Stone]"

"Kim Gordon: "I went to see M.I.A. play at Mount Holyoke, and it was a hall filled with girls, and they were going crazy. I could hear the beats more live, the record is so dense. I like her lyrics. I like that her music is rhythms upon rhythms. It escapes genre. I wouldn’t even call it a hip-hop record, I’d just call it M.I.A. She had this great footage of tribal dancers and these two young girls dancing onstage who were amazing. “Kala” (Interscope) has great grooves — it’s very colorful, lots of texture and density. The rhythms aren’t generic. They’re intuitive and organic.""

"Kreayshawn: "The only show I saved all my money to go see was MIA.. Twice!!""

"Krist Novoselic of Nirvana: "There's much to admire about the rapper M.I.A. She's a working mom, a dynamite performer, and a writer of songs, like "Bucky Done Gun," that command you to give the volume knob a twist. And with her outspoken political views and heart for her homeland, Mathangi Arulpragasam [sic] reflects the global consciousness of the information revolution....An ethnic Tamil, M.I.A. is a member of the minority that makes up the northern part of Sri Lanka, a country governed by the majority Sinhalese since the end of WWII. The Sinhalese-controlled government and Tamil's rebel fighters had been involved in a decades-long civil war until the rebel leader was killed and their fighters routed, thus putting an end to the conflict. M.I.A. has been giving interviews regarding the humanitarian costs of the military action, including the 300,000 displaced ethnic Tamils, many living in overcrowded camps. This reminds me of my situation in the early 1990s during the war in the former Yugoslavia. I had emerged from obscurity to play bass in the biggest band in the world. Being of Croatian heritage, I found myself speaking out about the war in the Balkans. (I lived in Yugoslavia in 1980 and have visited many times since.)...One person's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. We can toss this back and forth, but in the meantime too many innocents suffer. The Sri Lankan government has said that M.I.A. should stick with music and not worry about politics. It doesn't matter if she's Tamil or Sinhalese, M.I.A. is the most famous Sri Lankan in the world. She has the right to speak. I didn't know about Sri Lanka and the trouble there until M.I.A. made me aware. Her work can be political, but that aspect never seems overbearing. Thank you, Mathangi Arulpragasa, for bringing my attention to what's going on in that part of our world. And a big thanks for the great tunes as well!""

"Lady Gaga: "My fellow hardworking female art student. Just like me, her song [Paper Planes] took almost a full year to climb to the top. But we worked hard, and we did it.""

"Mike Shinoda: "On our first Fort Minor tour, Styles of Beyond were touring with me. [Bucky Done Gun] by M.I.A. was practically the theme song that tour. I think our crew was sick of hearing it! At any rate, I think that's what one of my favorite things about music is: those times when hearing a song reminds you of a time in your past, when it connects you directly with the memory every time you hear it. Good song.""

"Missy Elliott:"

"Nas: "Her sound is the future.""

"Nelly Furtado: "I have heard bits of the M.I.A Album and it is so cool..what a flow, what a style...and girl can dance!!!" [Listening to album Arular during the recording of Loose.]"

"Nicki Minaj: "I love M.I.A. … Based on that first video she put out ['Born Free'], She's not doing stuff for the mainstream applause, and I applaud her for that. She's a creative being and you're either gonna love it or hate it but you have to respect it. And I love her. When she hit me to do a record with her, I thought I had died and gone to heaven." Minaj also recalled the first time she heard "Paper Planes," when she thought, " 'Who is this bitch!?' I thought those were like the sickest lyrics. And then when I'd watch her videos, she doesn't give a fuck. That's what we want more of, we want people who don't give a fuck.""

"Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls:"

"Melody Thornton of Pussycat Dolls:"

"Patrick Wolf: "I've just fallen in love in the last couple of days with her work. She's great. I love "Bird Flu". I met her recently, and I'm a very, very big supporter of her work, and her attitude and what she stands for.""

"Peaches: "I first met M.I.A. as Maya in America way back in 2000 [laughs]. And she was a great videographer and she was also making her own films and her own clothes. I think that you can transfer your creativities to all different areas. She was a videographer, she made me clothes, she has a creative mind, and a passion and a drive.""

"Richard X: "It's very much who tickles my fancy," he says, although he's been lucky to meet a couple of "kindred spirits" - including Kelis and M.I.A""

"Santigold:"

"Sleigh Bells:"

"Solange Knowles: "I went to a M.I.A. show and I thought the best moment of her show, is she literally invited anyone who wanted to onstage, just the energy of, you know, being with the crowd, and its people who love your music, it feels really good." September 2008, Jimmy Kimmel Show"

"Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree:"

"Teddy Geiger: "That's that MIA thing. She has the bombs, they'll make you blow. Simple as that!""

"Thom Yorke: "I really try to limit [listening to other people's music while working on new songs], but M.I.A.'s first record really seeped in. M.I.A. takes this complete block and chop repeat, chop repeat, chop, not finished [method]. Which really reminds me of that thing of just picking up a guitar and the first three chords you write and being like, yep, that's good. Stop. End. Not sort of sitting there fifteen hours later agonizing over the hi-hat sound. That seems to be what happens with programming and electronica a lot of the time. You can feel the pain going on.""

"Timbaland: "We wanna go to the world. The world is 'Big Pimpin'.' 'Big Pimpin' ' is an international hit, so we wanna do 10 of those. Meaning, some of the songs gonna sound like M.I.A. would rap on some of the beats. You gonna be like, 'Whoa!'""

"Trent Reznor: "The only thing that I play in my car right now is Arular by a girl named M.I.A., the most innovative artist in years." (2005) [Reznor subsequently wanted to collaborate with M.I.A. in 2005, and added her songs "Pull Up The People", "Hombre" and "Galang" to the setlist of Pre-Show Music played at Nine Inch Nails Lights in the Sky concert tour (2008 - 2009). 2005,"

"Vampire Weekend:"

"Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips: "The new M.I.A. I like the "Born Free" single with the Suicide sample. I didn't like the video that much. But I like her. I think she's a badass. She's a freak. She's cool. She's intense. I think she gets a bit too bitchy sometimes, but I don't care." - on what he was listening to, July 2010, Rolling Stone"

"Carri "Cassetteplaya" Mundane:"

"Donatella Versace: "Her music and style seemed so fresh and innovative. She is a total artist." [for Designer's Musician Muses (2011)"

"Eric Daman and Meredith Markworth-Pollack: "Vanessa is a breath of fresh air. She’s the Lower East Side, Raising Victor Vargas home-girl. One night we saw M.I.A. in concert wearing a sequin sailor suit and were like “Omigod, she is so Vanessa.”" [on M.I.A. being the inspiration for the costumes of character Vanessa Abrams on television series Gossip Girl."

"Jean-Charles de Castelbajac: "I have collaborated with M.I.A. for four years but I also like Metronomy and Ebony Bones. There are a lot of talented people around." 2010"

"Karl Lagerfeld: "Nowadays people give the middle finger quite quickly - it's not the best behaviour. Everybody does that, what's new about that? It's just become a bad habit. People in magazines are 50% bimbo and 50% pregnant women" February 7, 2012 [on M.I.A. flipping the middle finger to the camera during the 2012 Superbowl half-time show]"

"Kesh: "I appreciate M.I.A.. A real artist.""

"Luella Bartley: "She had an unabashed in-your-face craziness that I loved, admired, and identified with.""

"Ryan McGinley: "We had to basically rig a truss for this swing; it was a major production to make sure it was safe. I tried it out. M.I.A. might have gotten there and said, 'I'm not doing this; this is too crazy.' But she got on and just started swinging like it was something normal. "I remember her saying, 'If I'm going to go out, this is an awesome way to go.'""

"Anthony Napolitan: "I think I have a thing for female singers; I like the way they sound. MIA is a very unique one at that. [Paper Planes] is an all-time favorite for me. I just like it!""

"Life’s been quite a journey. My career has been slow, yet steady. I like it that way. I never wished for overnight success. Neither did I want to rush through my career and suffer a burn-out."

"I was never interested in studies. And honestly, I never felt I had it in me to make good music. I guess, the environment in which I grew up — dad neck-deep in music, my sister Bavatharini on the piano all the time and brother Karthik Raja constantly hooked on the latest music technology — just stirred me to take the first step. ‘Thuluvatho Ilamai’ and ‘Poovellam Kaettupaar’ proved to be turning points."

"I see every director as a different brand. That way, it’s easy for me to compartmentalise my work. So I can easily switch from one film to the other and refresh myself when I hit a mental block. I don’t want my music to sound like a pastiche of other works. So I stop listening to my songs once the audio for a film is released. When I unwind, it’s usually with jazz."

"Dad used to say it’s [live recording] the backbone for any musical endeavour. And I’ve realised that with time. So most often, my re-recordings are live. Technology does enhance music, but the warmth of a live orchestra is incomparable. Fans wrote to me after ‘Oru Devadai…’ (“Vaamanan”) saying the score had a divine quality. That’s because it was done live. Besides, I’m also conscious of the employment problem that technology-driven music creates."

"My mind’s buzzing with scripts. I want to do something really different. A long-term goal is to open an orphanage for kids. I’ve envisioned something of huge proportions. But first let me make the money for it."

"Dad is a man of few words. He rarely discusses my compositions. But I hear him humming my numbers to my nephew. The recent one is a hit from the Telugu flick “Oy”. A musical genius in the family is both a huge advantage and a disadvantage. I’ve absorbed so much from my father. But, at the same time, fans keep writing to me saying they expect more from me — because of my lineage!"

"Karthik Raja is immensely talented. It’s unfortunate he hasn’t got the right break. Be it technology, manuscript or knowledge of genres, he is thorough. I’m sure he will make it ASAP."

"I’ve no regrets in my personal and professional life. Being a spiritual person, I believe whatever happens, happens for the good. I simply follow what dad says, ‘With music, you can reach out and spread happiness.’"

"I’m camera shy. But I had to do a portfolio for my world tour. So Karthik of Dreamcast and I worked in tandem and conceptualised the shoot. I wanted a rock star look. Possibly, with just a bit of the face showing. Since the show is full of surprises, I wanted the promo photos too to kindle curiosity."

"No country can cease to exist. The stones don't walk."

"I'm in love with a fairytale, even though it hurts. 'Cause I don`t care if I lose my mind; Im already cursed."

"Every day we started fighting. Every night we fell in love. No one else could make me sadder. But no one else could lift me high above."

"People call me stupid for treating you like a queen, but I dont even worry `cause you`re my unforeseen. And I hope that you`ll be with me, if only in my dreams. But here you are next to me and you`re glad, or so it seems."

"Don`t promise me forever, just love me day by day."

"Your boyfriends might be angry, my girlfriends might be blue. But no one can deny it, from now on I love you."

"我花了很长时间去想，那些界定别人低俗的人，他们到底高雅在哪里，比如说有人花一百块嫖娼是低俗，有人用一百万去玩艺人就是高雅，有人看黄色图片是低俗，有人看红头文件是高雅，有人买个仿真枪是低俗，有人真枪一暴两个头是高雅，有人玩魔兽就是低俗，有人玩模特就是高雅..."

"評論《阿凡達》說，「野蠻強拆對於其他國家的觀眾來說，的確是一件超乎他們想像力的事情，也就是外星球和中國才可能發生。」"

"官方一会说转基因食品无害，一会说要严禁在世博园区里出现转基因的食品以免外国人误食，这是一种自己对自己的歧视么？"

"I am a sensitive person, so it is actually saddening to learn that these poverty-stricken families are most of the time mistreated or looked down upon. Help the poor, like how you would want to be helped if you were in their position."

"Sometimes, opening up your eyes and realising what you have – no matter how little you think – helps you find yourself."

"Don’t let life pass you by before you realise that it was worth living."

"Stay in the middle, don't get pushed to the side, every chance that's worth taking, is a chance worth the fight"

"What I got as result was my work for two periods as mayor. She came as if she owned the place, but she has to earn respect first. I just met her when she presented as candidate; before, we never saw her."

"I always said that it was going to be beautiful that Paulina [Nin] presented me as entertainer and I sang."

"If something have demonstrated the elections and the percentage she got (4,41%) is that nobody wanted her here."

"Paulina Nin disrespected my town."

"This proposal was made by the Pichileminian people. In Pichilemu, we have 15,000 inhabitants, and in summer this grows to 100,000, because we receive a lot of foreigner tourists, that love to visit beaches like Pichilemu's."

"This is made since a long time in Pichilemu, because of that, and the anxiety of our inhabitants we are proposing that these beaches become legal."

"I feel that destiny is a mixture of preparation and luck. You can be very lucky, but it is useless if you're not prepared. You can be prepared, but it is useless if you're not lucky."

"Solitude is good, desolation is bad. I have experienced both."

"I have that weakness. I think women are one of the most beautiful creations that could be given by nature, by God."

"Surprisingly, it is not like they say: "In this or in that country", no. There are beautiful women in every country."

"I think any woman can be the ideal woman."

"If you can measure your height from head to heaven, he is taller than you."

"I always wanted to have many friends, unfortunately, friends are formed with years, and not everybody know how to respond as a friend."

"Look, in my personal issues I'm very private. I would like to make clear that all the matters of my family, friends, my love life, is something that is for me, and I also prefer people to invent. It amuses me a lot when I read all the things they invent."

"I wish I had a family. In the future I´ll try to figure out how to dedicate more time to my personal life, and yes, maybe think about a family, kids, comes an age when the body asks for it."

"You have a list of things that you want to do in life—to own your own house, to own your own car, to own your own yacht. [Making] wine was on my list, because it has a particular glamour to it."

"Simply: the practice makes the master. Practice every day, or at least try to sing, as much as you can. And I don´t stop, if I´m not on tour, I´m on a studio, and if I don´t, I do it for pleasure, I do it every day, is something that is part of my life."

"I listen to everything, all types of music."

"Luis Miguel has the voice and style of the young Frank Sinatra, so I'm not mistaken when I say that if Frank would have been born in Latin America, his name would be Luis Miguel."

"This kid has a unique voice."

"That young man has one of the clearest voices, his throat is a Stradivarius."

"Luis Miguel has something special, an irresistible charm."

"I love listening to him... his songs are very romantic."

"I would love to work with him … I love his voice and style."

"I think that Luis Miguel is the best singer in Spanish. Things have to be recognized as they are. Luis Miguel is the best singer. I'm telling you from the standpoint of a fellow singer, a professional. I dedicate to this and I hear many people singing. I could say it about another person who sing very well, there are many people who sing very well, but he is the best singer and it must be acknowledged."

"Luis Miguel says profession damaged his listening ability."

"Well, I like people a lot. I could define myself as a pacific being, a lover of nature, music and people. The qualities that I admire the most in the human being is the capacity of getting along with its similars in holy peace."

"What I hate the most in the world is injustice. Unfortunately, there is a lot of injustice in the world. Once we understood the mission that God gave us in this earth that is to sing to love, try to repeat his word, spread his word, because there is no other thing that we do but sing to love, tell people to be happy. Not to hurt each other, hit each other, kill each other."

"The couples I married, I never chose them, they did."

"For three years I was immersed in a depression, I did not know how to assimilate the loss of my voice, which was a reality."

"Those who have had the opportunity to be rescued from an addiction, whatever it is, we are obliged to talk about this and work together to let people know how to get out of it."

"I was a depressive and self-destructive alcoholic, but I was lucky enough to meet the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and be rescued by it 15 years ago."

"I'm not a teetotaler. People know that I like to have my drinks. Specially when I go to work. I don't like to get drunk. I don't go out drunk. I never would, for respect to the audience. But sometimes I have a drink. I am a very nervous person, extremely nervous. So to calm me down, I like having a drink before going on stage."

"I believe in loyalty."

"I don't like feeling lonely... but in solitude one can get to revalue many things."

"I don't know, I think that the eyes, I like eyes very much."

"Oh dear God, one misses the land when is far away."

"Well, I am so far, and you put me a bottle of tequila here."

"No, well, first of all let me tell you that it is carefully, because you never know when the little elf of the bottle is going to get out of it and will hit you with it and will let you watching little stars."

"Well, I actually don't know him personally. I would like to, he is very handsome."

"I have so much respect of his talent, his passion, the strength of his voice."

"I feel the pride of being a Chinese everywhere, the Five-starred Red Flag is respected worldwide."

"I'm jealous that you are CCP [Communist Party of China] members. The CCP is really great. The CCP's promises don't take 100 years, they are fulfilled in decades. I want to be a CCP member."

"...in the 10 years after Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule ... I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not... If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic... I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want."

"More than 120 takes. Those kinds of things ... You [say] "Wow, Jackie's good." It's not good. You can do it. Except, do you have the patience or not?"

"You have to work five or six years in the theatre—in hit shows—to make people sick and tired of you, but this you can accomplish in only a few weeks on television. It's a remarkable medium."

"Spending money you don't have for things you don't need to impress people you don't like."

"Walter Slezak says he's tired of arguing with his kids about borrowing the car. "The next time I want it," he says, "I'm just going to take it.""

""Overwrite — put down everything that comes to your mind," I was told. "Be explicit, elaborate. Judicious pruning will be done later. Don't be afraid to name names. Lawyers will tooth-comb the book before it gets into print and protect you from libel suits. Don't be afraid to shock people. Be daring. Be spicy. Tell all!" I did. I followed everybody's advice. About seven hundred thirty pages were judiciously pruned in order to protect the innocent, to make it possible for the book to be sent through the U.S. mails, and to prevent me from spending the twilight years of my life in jail for criminal libel. What's left is here. PLEASE LIKE IT."

"Biographies usually begin with the smack on the bottom and the first lusty cry of the subject. I deplore this literary custom, because it is impossible to remember anything about one's birth firsthand. It is bound to be hearsay, and embellished, gilded hearsay at that."

"In that wonderful musical show Knickerbocker Holiday Maxwell Anderson defined the outstanding characteristics of an American as "one who refuses to take orders!" I think that I qualified for that, my chosen nationality, at an early age. As far back as I can remember, an expressly given order triggered instant defiance. My little mind started functioning like an IBM machine; signals flashed in my resistance center, lights flickered around my resentment glands, bell and buzzer alerted all the cunning of a five-year-old. Strategy and tactics went to work, not to rest till they had circumvented or defied that specific order. I don't know if that character trait was deplorable or laudable; I only know that I have never been able to lose it. And I am extremely grateful that I was too young to serve in the First World War and too old for the Second; I surely would have been court-martialed for insubordination, and expired in front of a firing squad. Even today, at my ripe old age, if someone suggests I do something and this suggestion is tinged with an excessive amount of authority, I immediately turn into a bristling fortress of resistance."

"I never lie unless it is absolutely necessary. Or convenient."

"Papa told her about a Lohengrin performance. It was just before his first entrance. He was ready to step into the boat, which, drawn by a swan, was to take him on-stage. Somehow the stagehand on the other side got his signals mixed, started pulling, and the swan left without Papa. He quietly turned around and said: "What time's the next swan?" That story has since become a classic in operatic lore."

"After America had entered the war in December 1941 all postal service with Germany and Austria was stopped. But Papa had faithfully kept on writing to me, a ten-page letter nearly every week. They were never mailed and I found them, neatly bundled, sealed and addressed to me. … And now, on the plane, winging back home, I began to read his letters. They are remarkable documents. It's the whole war, as seen from the other side, through the eyes of a man who detested the fascist system, who hated the Nazis with a white fury. In the midst of the astonishing German victories in the early part of the war he was firmly convinced that Hitler MUST and WOULD lose. He dreaded communism, and all his predictions have come true. He told of all the spying that went on, the denunciations to the Gestapo, the sudden disappearances of innocent people, of the daily new edicts and restrictions, of confiscations that were nothing but robberies, arrests, and executions; how every crime committed was draped in the mantilla of legality. His great perception, intelligence, decency, his wonderful humanity, his love of music and above all his worshipful adoration for his Elsa — through every page they shimmered with luminescent radiance."

"My biggest dream in life is the one about catching a tram in my underwear and then Helen Mirren gets on and blows up a balloon in the shape of Walter Slezak. I’m most grateful for any attention I get."

"Until I was about 12 or 13, it was just, “Oh sure, okay, fine.” Then when I was about 14, my father asked, “Are you serious about this? Do you really want to be an actor?” I said, “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.” So, he took me in his little office, sat me down for about an hour and told me everything bad about this business. He said, “You have to be prepared for all the awful things that happen to actors, the rejection, humiliation, and embarrassment and receiving bad reviews if you do get a job. You have to be prepared for all of that.”"

"I like films that rest in the memory so I try and choose parts which have some kind of social or emotional force. For me, being an actress is not just a profession but a profession of faith."

"I am a follower of hyaluronic acid – always in small doses of course – to fill wrinkles and fine lines."

"The newspapers were saying, 'You have AIDS.' They actually said I was dead. I just threw myself into my work when the whispering campaign turned really ugly. I think Camille saved me. I felt incredibly paranoid, just as Camille did. And do you know? I was able to use that in doing Camille's scenes. It made them better."

"For some reason, everybody consider me to be Belorussian, because since I have moved from a village good three decades have already passed.Countrymen resent: are you a Belorussian indeed? And I agree as I have never considered myself to be neither Belorussian nor even more so Russian."

"I am proud to be Ukrainian."

"Over the years I felt call to motherland that sometimes I even wanted to cry because of nostalgia. You will not believe but my present flat is a real Ukrainian house. I collect embroidered towels and embroidered shirts. More and more often I recollect the words of Nina Matvienko, whom I respect a lot: "Where your navel is dug there you will always feel a call". And it is true."

"That's talent!! I'll take him to the stage. The military don't need such voice."

"Se um dia alguém perguntar por mim Diz que vivi para te amar. Antes de ti, só existi Cansado e sem nada para dar."

"What goes on between an actor and the audience, at its best, is a dialogue. Sometimes you watch an actor on stage and somehow the performance isn’t getting through. The fourth wall is not only closed, it’s soundproofed. That’s because the actor isn’t connecting with the living and breathing human beings in the room with him. The audience feels the distance and they react accordingly. As an actor, you have to fire up your sensors at 100 percent all the time. You have to be in touch with all those heartbeats in the audience, connect with them. Sometimes during the Grinch performances, a child will shout out something. And I’ll turn right around, look them in the eye and respond to them."

"As an actor in Iceland, I found good training and colleagues in the National Theatre, and none of us could have predicted the kind of fame that LazyTown found globally. When you are an actor or do anything in the arts for a career, your life will take many unexpected twists and turns.Robbie was a product of many years of thinking and doing. What you see in the TV show is different from his first personality. One of the big challenges playing a part like Robbie is bringing the right kind of energy. You don't want to scare the littlest viewers but you have to bring a certain villain personality with humor.As many actors have said before me, being famous or well known can be nice or it can be a burden, it all depends on how you look at it. I love my fans - they have come along on this ride with me and have said too many nice things for me to ever count. I am grateful.There is no difference in preparing for Robbie Rotten or any classical serious role.... Every part you prepare for, you have to be honest and truthful and wholly believe that the character exists – otherwise no one will accept your acting. Kids are a demanding audience and they KNOW when something is untruthful."

"It’s not until they tell you you’re going to die soon that you realize how short life is. Time is the most valuable thing in life because it never comes back. And whether you spend it in the arms of a loved one or alone in a prison-cell, life is what you make of it. Dream big."

"Dabei ist grad der Staat das größte Übel, das alle Menschen seit Jahrhunderten versaut; und jeder einzelne von uns ist nur ein Dübel, in den der Staat den Nagel seiner Allmacht haut."

"My perfect Sunday would be a chilled, calming day, nothing too taxing. I try to watch films at the cinema whenever I can, or I go for a walk down by the river. … Richard and I might then try out a new restaurant we’ve heard about. I’m vegetarian and I love it that there are so many places in London with great veggie food. … I’ve got my own little fan group who call themselves the Sprouts, because of my obsession with Brussels sprouts, and they’re a fantastic group of girls that I chat to all the time. … Otherwise – this is embarrassing to admit – Richard and I will play Call of Duty. It’s a side of me that not a lot of people know about but I was a big games girl when I was a teenager and computer games are my guilty pleasure."

"Art is about collecting experiences and expressing them. For me music and photography are similar art forms. I collect experiences, stir them in myself and express it in my own language. Just like my photography, music is my language."

"Make the necessary plans, set goals but understand that the things that really matter, are out of your hands."

"“In God’s presence, hope is re-birthed…always. In worship, we see Him as He is and He sprinkles us with grace to see how beautiful we are.”"

"I didn't think I made a great image, when the photographs landed for the first time on social media, everyone immediately thought she was a model."

"I think what makes me a good portrait photographer is that I really see people. The moment I know I’m photographing someone, I already see them in their most beautiful state. Before I make the image, I already know the image and I aspire to that. Sometimes, it’s just an impression in my heart about who they are."

"Meeting and photographing her has inspired us all and we can’t wait for the good that will come to her from all of this to unfold . She doesn’t speak English well but here ,she was explaining how she found us . I had sent an assistant , as many of you advised ,to leave a message with the people in the area where we photographed her…"

"It has been a joy to share my knowledge but more than anything, I think I have been inspired by the amount of growth many of the participants in such a short time have garnered. And that says many things, one of which is that if we have more and more of stuffs like this, we can push the quality and they type of photography that is coming out of Nigeria forward. I love the fact that this is a workshop for women. I mean this (the project) is a way to have a voice and I am so glad that I have seen people who came here at the beginning with works of a certain kind, now being able to push forward on their own ideas and their own perspective of things. I think that is important and it has been a tremendously incredible workshop. I don’t think I have experienced anything like this."

"(On Michael Weatherly)"Michael and I clicked immediately. We sort of hated each other immediately, and loved each other immediately. I walked into the audition and he thought, Ohmygod, she’s gonna be so hard to work with. She’s so complicated. And I thought, This guy’s so incredibly unprofessional. During the audition, he grabbed my hair. He would not follow the lines. He totally went off script and started improvising, and this was my final audition with the heads of CBS. I thought, This guy is sabotaging my audition. So immediately I went, Oh, I’m gonna show this guy. I’m gonna show him. So he tried touching me, and I literally like [mimes slapping his hand away]. That relationship was established the moment that we met. Nothing changed, it was just enhanced. And we loved each other as well. We realized we’re so drastically different and so much alike that there was an immediate attraction.""

"I think that the original movie, for anyone who’s a fan of it and fell in love with it, I do think melancholy is an intrinsic part of it. That’s part of the charm of it and the love of it. And so given the fact that [director Louis Letterier] and Lisa and the whole team have set about making this story very much in the spirit of the original, there is an element of melancholy to it and I think that’s part of its charm."

"I think it’s hard to know how your work is affecting people, although it’s easier to tell with the Internet. I used to only get letters, which was great. It’s amazing because, suddenly, I can see people’s reactions. It’s a surprise because you don’t really know if anybody is listening to you. But I also think the Internet is very misleading. Artists can “Google” themselves and it looks like the world is about them when they’re actually just a tiny glitch in the matrix."

"To be stuck in a contract with people and not be happy will destroy you. It’s about being very, very strong in your convictions of what you’re doing and what you want, and then building a family around that—having people on your team who are working with you, and not against you. I have been really lucky because my music life has been full of people who look out for me and my interests, who are good friends outside of work, and who want the best for me."

"I think when I write for other people it’s much more playful. We laugh much more and it’s like putting on a costume and I’m much more free. I do quite little of it, I tend to write something and go ‘mine’ and I guess also because sometimes I would have to have somebody in mind to write for because I have a funny way of phrasing things and the songs are often quite subtle but they can be very hard to sing and I really love that. I tend to just own things for myself but if I get asked to write I’ll do it!”"

"Theatre is a terrific environment to hone your storytelling skills as well as fine tune your performance, both of which I'm very grateful for and that I use in my prep process for this medium [of television], also, when you have a live audience, they are the last member of the cast, if you will. You can rehearse a show as much as you want,a how that night will turn out until your final company member is in the house, and that's the audience."

"I think what I love the most about sci-fi (fandom) or people that are fans of sci-fi is that they are really hooked on the details and the storytelling aspect of everything. I’ve really enjoyed, I love jamming about scenes and the content of what we’re talking about and the themes in the show. And people are genuinely interested in the world that we’ve created and it’s really fun to talk to them about it. It almost feels like we’re talking at work, like I’m talking to another co-worker because they are just as invested and interested in the details and the nuances as we are. And I don’t think that any other kind of genre has that kind of attention to detail. So I think that’s kind of my favorite part of sci-fi fans."

"In Russian: Бой неравный был. В четырех стенах Н икого друзей. Только смертный страх. Только муж - палач. Только в сердце нож. Только цвет надежд, превращенный в прах... Нет, не надо слез! Траур ни к чему. Распознать врага у себя в дому, П родолжать борьбу, сестры, надо вам, Гибель Турсуной учит вас тому."

"I believe that even without speaking the same language, we can create unity: we understand each other because we pray. It’s a form of reconciliation of the world across the borders, cultures and languages of different nations. We’re a family and we complement each other."

"I have many more choices on the character I can play (in Hong Kong). The role for Asian actors and actresses is very restrictive in Hollywood movies. They already have a lot of great actors and actresses, I have no idea why they need to write scripts for Chinese actors. I will have more space in Asia and I know my culture very well. I know everybody might have his reason for going to Hollywood; you want to be more famous, you want to make more money. You might have your reason, but I can’t find a reason for myself to go to Hollywood."

"I think it’s incredible and I think I had a breakthrough in my acting career. I did something that I had never done before and to me, at least, it was quite successful."

"I don’t want to become more famous because I don’t have any privacy anymore and I hate that very much. Outside of work I just want to be an ordinary person, not to be recognised, not a monkey on the street when everybody is looking at you."

"I think moviemakers in every country are looking for ideas. It’s interactive. And sometimes we remake a lot of Hollywood films but we don’t buy the rights, we just try to imitate those films."

"For me, when I was a kid, I came from a broken family. I don't know how to express my feelings. I don't want to express my feelings in front of others, so I became very isolated. I don't talk too much, and I'm very good at hiding my emotions. And somehow when I get into the training class, when I learn how to act, then I find a way to express my feelings in front of others without being shy. Because you can hide behind someone, and express you feelings. You can do whatever you want, you can cry, but you won't feel shy. And that's the reason why I enjoy acting very much. That's the reason why I've been acting for twenty-something years. I don't do it for fame or for money. That's not important to me. For myself it's a kind of relief that you have to suppress for 13 years in your childhood."

"Many times, I finished and asked my scene partner, 'Did you notice just now that one of my eyes was blank? Actually, I was thinking, what's my line?'"

"I had been making dramas for some time and suddenly I wanted to change, I wanted to have new feelings."

"If I'm not working, I'll go on my boat and have a few drinks. Most of my friends are outside the movie business. It's too much to mix with other celebrities. When I go out I prefer no one talk about movies. I'd rather talk about waterskiing, the sea, beaches, seafood..."

"Once I'm committed to a role, I will go very deep into it, even when I'm not at work. I'll keep on studying the script, maybe 40 or 50 times. I might call a scriptwriter at three in the morning to say I've thought of something new."

"I wasn't so happy in my childhood. My parents broke up when I was six. Before, I was a very active, naughty child, but after my father left me I stopped talking. I became very good at hiding my emotions. I felt so ashamed of telling others that I didn't have a father, because that was not common in the 1960s. People didn't break up - even if they didn't love each other - in traditional Chinese families. Not like today."

"I found a way to express myself. The others thought I was playing a character, but actually I was living behind the character. I could release my emotions, and the others didn't know that was me. That's the reason I love acting so much. I wasn't asking for fame or money - it was the natural high I got addicted to."

"If I want to experience the life of an ordinary person, I cannot do it in Asia."

"I grew up in Norway, learned English there. I'm very grateful because that experience made me who I am today. It made me more independent."

"At present I am too busy with my filming schedule I don't have time to pursue my music career. Besides, the Vietnamese music industry is saturated with new comers, the audiences are confused with the music style of these new comers. Many singers have small success but they think they are stars that makes me bored of the of the music business now. I am not sure if i will return to music."

"For me, Hai Phượng reflects the current social reality of the child abduction problem, more than just a commercial movie. Through the process of finding a child, the film portrays the spiritual motherhood, the courage of a mother to be ready to face dangers, even to sacrifice her life to save her child. It is a very humanistic message that I want to dedicate to my final action movie."

"More and more female actresses are appearing on the big screen in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular, with the same thought that there will be more female leads for the audience. On the contrary, such films encourage and motivate girls to become independent, strong, and successful. That positive cycle gradually changes the society in which we live."

"For Westerners, those with black hair and brown eyes default to be Chinese. I do not like it at all. I am proud of my country, culture, and people. I am Vietnamese. I am proud of my country, my people. We have a long history in the cinema, so it should be developed. For every character I play in Hollywood, I want to show the pride of my country. I think any actor or actress has their dreams and purposes."

"I think as a filmmaker, I just want to make my film shine, be recognized by the audience first. Besides, I also want to call on the Vietnamese audience to support Vietnamese films because they are the ones who decide the survival of the film. If the audience does not love it, the film will not have the opportunity to recover capital or shine on the market. If Vietnamese films are not supported and shined, it will be difficult for producers to produce films anymore, if this situation persists, there will be no more Vietnamese films to watch in the future. Therefore, I also want audiences with Vietnamese spirit to support Vietnamese films."

"I think the biggest shortcoming is the language. I myself used to go abroad to film, so I think not having the language is a very difficult thing because I can't communicate with them. Without language I cannot talk about the acting process. Just like Vietnamese actors, sometimes I don't act according to the script, but I also create more ideas. If I didn't have the language, I would feel like I was inferior to my friends."

"When I have lived enough to a certain age, I will not bring a man to measure to a certain extent or to a certain standard. The most important thing right now is to find someone who understands me."

"I have lived on my own since 1963. It doesn’t mean I haven’t had a sex life."

"I’m tough but my heart is very soft."

"I don’t know how to bargain. Most Chinese are good at it. I am not. I am too lazy. You need to have good arithmetic and I don’t. I hate gambling, which is almost a national sport. And I don’t think I would keep the money."

"Another problem for minority actors is that we don’t often work with beautiful dialogue. And there were less chances of working with great directors and actors. That’s when you can learn a lot."

"Lots of little old ladies potter in their gardens. For me it is my library. It has every subject about China I can collect, and of course about theatre."

"I always tell my students that I’m teaching them to be more confident. That’s why you come to acting class. I say, “If you aim at a tall tree, you may hit a bush. If you aim at a bush, you’ll hit that floor.” I find that some actors just don’t try enough. They may not like it when I say that."

"See, a lot of people think freedom means you can do anything you want. That’s not true. The more freedom you have, the more responsibility you have. My life has always been about freedom and independence. And in some ways, acting has too. What is so great about acting is that after 62 years, suddenly the technique is in you already. You don’t have to think about it anymore. Suddenly you’re free."

"I don’t like to be called “Mrs.” because I am not married, and I only belong to myself. I admire and respect people who have been successfully married for a long time, but I cannot do it. So I decided to never marry again."

"You can control the audience. You can make the audience so happy one minute, and so sad the next minute. In film, it’s up to the directors to cut it well. Sometimes an actor may not give a very good performance, but the editor does a good job."

"You are only famous for ten years, unless you’re a superstar. Because another generation comes through and you’re forgotten."

"Everybody will try to knock you down but only you can see where you are going, so you must be strong and keep going."

"Do not limit yourself from who you learn from, everyone has something you can learn."

"Success is when God is happy with you, when the closest people around you are happy and when your soul is at peace with you."

"Have a vision of where you want your life to be."

"Start with whatever you have, there is something in your hand no matter how small."

"Women should empower themselves while staying true to their marriages and husbands"

"There will always be disgruntled elements concerning whatever you do. Keep your heart clean, stay focused and work hard."

"Be yourself, you might not understand it, others might not understand it, but someday, your purpose will be enough."

"There has to be something that drives you. Find that thing that drives you and you'll be able to have longevity in it."

"We can rise. We can achieve so much at the end of the day if we get it right."

"You can't do everything at the same time, don't be too much in a hurry. Space out yourself, rest, understand yourself and love yourself."

"If you do whatever you do diligently and excellently, you would surely make a difference."

"I believe the new African woman is a woman who respects her man and knows that the man is the head of the family, but doesn’t lose herself in that either but commands and demands respect in her own way."

"I think the new African woman is career minded and family oriented."

"Everybody will try to knock you down but only you can see where you’re going, so you must be strong, believe in yourself and keep going."

"I used to think I was odd, as the things that interested many weren’t my interest. Not anymore, now I understand my interests and live in my truth."

"We need to get to a situation where we understand what we stand for and how much power we have, we are not fully conscious of how we form people’s mindset and how we change people’s mind."

"You can’t define success in one sentence, a lot of people have tried to do that. Success is relative. What is success to you might not be success to me but I think generally its a state of peace of mind. A state of acceptance and a state of joy."

"There is space for you in this world and the world is waiting for you to PERFECT yourself and PRESENT yourself."

"Women should empower themselves while still remaining true to their marriage and husbands. If a marriage is stressful, emotionally destructive, I think we should be strong enough to walk away from such damaging unions."

"The only thing that keeps you sane as a man or woman is when you’re empowered."

""I have a long history of crashes," Diva says as she picks up her tape recorder to hear a part of her song about her "crash history." I hit a bus once, my car was completely destroyed. Once again, I had such an accident that even the car's tape recorder failed."

"Referring to the name of Amir Diva and complaining to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Tataloo said: "Amir did not do anything wrong, but when he went to the music center of the Ministry of Guidance to get a license, it was only because he is a close friend of mine." "They did not give him permission.""

"I always go back to the heart. A lot of it is about the small decisions of the heart that lead to the big issues."

"I really love the idea of a space to self-learn and create an internal independence system of self-discipline outside of school bells and uniforms and stuff. I’m really into the idea of education being part of life."

"Seeing the IDPs malnourished and uncared for, especially the children, gave me sleepless nights. I really wanted to do something for them. Now, I am happy for making these donations to them through the Jewel Empowerment Foundation."

"No matter how little, please make sure you are a source of blessing an inspiration to someone around you"

"I have been so anxious to return to what gives me joy most. Giving back to fellow youths has been my hobby and the break cannot stop me from doing this."

"Children should be off the street, so that they can focus on education; unemployed youths/ parents should be trained on skills that would help to improve their standard of living"

"I have always believed that one of the biggest problems we have in Nigeria is having the wrong orientation, the wrong mindset towards life, which has aided corruption, high crime rate and an increase in unemployment. Our youths have misplacement of priority and most of them are lazy both in reasoning and creativity, they just want to get quick money. Self-discovery is a major key in accomplishing great things in life and through my NGO."

"But usually, early exposure to sex as a child affects one’s life when matured. Most times, ladies who are abused as a child, tend to stay off men completely or they are often being with men. It’s depends on the personality of the person."

"Do children dress to seduce? So, why are they usually victims of sexual abuse? And when I mean children, I mean both male and female, so it’s not about the ladies. Some insane people just use dressing as an excuse to execute their evil act. You must have been nursing the idea to do something before you eventually do it. So, I would advise we guide our minds diligently and make sure whatever we find ourselves doing should be things we are proud of and things that would promote Nigeria for good."

"My kind of man is the type that enjoys togetherness, very hardworking, loving, patient and understanding. I love freedom, especially freedom of expression. My kind of man would give me that liberty to say all and of course, he would trust me."

"Helping the younger generation brings joy to me because I’m just like every normal young person. I’m a person that discovered herself early in life. Thus, my NGO helps younger people to know what they want to do in life, to help them positively and being fulfilled doing it."

"Sexual harassment is everywhere. It’s in every sector. The only reason it is pronounced in the movie industry is because of the media"

"People forget that acting is all about assuming a character. We are in the make-belief industry and we have to be professional."

"I do something in my own time."

"I can say that because I like what I am doing. I’m having fun."

"I think that’s what we are here to serve. Even if it was one person that was able to leave a toxic relationship, or who was able to say what happened to them for the first time, getting it off their chest, gives me strength and makes me feel like what I do is meaningful and makes me want to continue."

"It is true that sometimes people think I have given up on music and singing but that is not the case. Even when I went to study music, I was still doing music."

"I do music in films and I’m very mindful of what I do."

"As an artiste I don’t like to be pressured into doing something."

"It was not easy to start doing music as a woman, as a young girl, because music was not seen as a profession. Musicians were considered as people who drink or do drugs."

"Remembering is for always. Thinking about where we came from so that it will never happen again should be a daily thing."

"We should continue to work together in comforting survivors so we build the Rwandan community we always wished to have."

"I cannot keep up with the culture of covering up the domestic violence based on sayings like, amafuti y’umugabo ni bwo buryo bwe”, (loosely translated to ‘a man never errs’)."

"I am tired of people being told ‘ihangane’ (sorry),”"

"It’s a true miracle to have a baby growing inside your womb. Then it goes to the point where you start to feel the baby moving …it’s so mysterious and a true blessing, but it’s also very, very difficult. I wouldn’t love to be pregnant all the time but I think it was a good experience."

"This is called loving yourself in Kinyarwanda and accepting yourself [...] This is very good, let me tell you that I don't see anything wrong with loving yourself and accepting your body.(Ibi babyita kwikunda mu Kinyarwanda no kwiyakira […] Ibi ni byiza cyane, reka mbabwire ko nta kibi na mba mbona mu kwikunda no kwakira umubiri wawe.)"

"My daughters are still young, I teach them to love themselves and tell them that their body is theirs and no one else has a right to it or knows how to handle it. My responsibility is to continue to talk to him and explain to him according to his age.Even if my daughter becomes an adult and it depends on the job she does, for example an artist, a model or even a photographer because she wants or likes it, I would tell her that she is beautiful and that she is going to create what she dreamed of.(Abakobwa banjye baracyari bato, mbatoza kwikunda nkanababwira ko umubiri bafite ari uwabo nta wundi uwufiteho uburenganzira cyangwa agenge uko akwiye kuwutwara. Inshingano zanjye ni ugukomeza kumuganiriza no kumusobanurira bihwanye n’imyaka ye.Naho umukobwa wanjye abaye ari mukuru bigaterwa n’akazi yaba akora, urugero umuhanzi, umunyamideli cyangwa se akifotoza kuko abishaka cyangwa abikunze, namubwira ko ari mwiza kandi ko ijya kumurema yari yaraye imurose.)"

"In continuing to build a community that is suitable for all, we must continue to liberate ourselves from within ourselves because it leads to education and to the sanctity of the home.(Mu gukomeza kubaka umuryango ubereye bose rero, ahakiri ingutu dukomeze tuhabohore duhereye MU MBERE IWACU kuko ijya gutera uburezi irabwibanza kandi n’ijya kurisha ihera k’urugo.)"

"It is with great joy that I inform you that God has blessed me and my husband with a baby girl. We have great praise for God […] we have joy and happiness! Love and blessings to you all!(N’ibyishimo byinshi, ndabamenyesha ko Imana yaduhaye umugisha, njye n’umugabo wanjye iduha umwana w’umukobwa.Dufite ishimwe rikomeye ku Mana […] dufite ibyishimo n’umunezero!Urukundo n’imigisha kuri mwese!)"

"I like to work with different musicians also, and so all of that takes time."

"I have learnt that one can ‘switch up’ one’s flow and style but one should never change one’s core values."

"One should always be true to oneself. Nothing lasts forever and nothing is do or die. Also, one should always value relationships."

"My latest song, “Ganja,” is a love song, love inspired it and the way I see it, love is intoxicating."

"Sometimes isolation is a gift , learn how to be grateful when God separates you from the wrong people. Don't push to get back in their lives."

"Rwanda is in me, it’s very deep. My creativity is linked to the past, my childhood there. There is much to be said and told, not just through dance and music, but that is one way to address it. It’s a question of creating, mending, performing, witnessing, sharing."

"It’s true that men who invade territories also want to annihilate the physical body, the social body. But I decided to zoom into the stories of the Rwandan women and let that spread out and speak of the others."

"I would ask if I could take a photo after talking to them, and most would change into a beautiful dress. They wanted me to carry beauty and hope with me."

"I recorded their voices and really tried to capture how they held themselves, how they walked, how they wiped away their tears. It all became physical, choreographic, material. We hear some of their testimonies in the piece, and I had to find a way for the body to navigate through these spoken words"

"The choreography was about digging into the physical memories of these women’s tension, their rage, their sorrow. I tried to honestly remember my feelings and the emotional journey I went through in their presence. I am not trying to reproduce rape; I want to cut through the trauma so that people can receive and understand these experiences. The body speaks when testimony has been suspended."

"Music is just like art. And both talents are innate. You must be artistically inclined to be creative. So, it’s the art in me that has found expressions through music."

"Exceptional talent, (not nudity) is what guarantees one’s relevance in this industry; we all come to that realisation over time."

"Getting back into the industry [after I had gone to get married and have my children] was difficult, because there was this bridge between the young girls, my set of girls, and the mummies. You don't have a lot of roles where my set of girls - let's call us 'ladies' - so girls, ladies, mamas, there were not a lot of roles for we ladies. It was a little tough because most of the roles then were between young girls (sweet 16, 18, 25) or you're playing the mummy role. So you don't have a lot of roles where we easily fit in. And then after a while, roles would come and people would say "please play this person's mother" and I was like play who's mother? Initially, I didn't want to play it because I was like I can't come and be borning people that are almost my age. But then after a while, I was like give it a shot."

"It started with Husbands of Lagos and Mary Njoku kept on calling me that she had me in mind to play her mother in law. I was going to be mother to Kenneth Okoli, I couldn't be that much older than Kenneth. But this is make believe. But guess what? When I did it, it was a success, and what happens with such characters is that everybody now writes characters with you in mind to play that. So you find that you see a lot of my movies where I play mother and people start to look at you [as if you're older than you are]. Was I worried for a bit? Yes, I was because you find, especially in our industry, that nobody wants to grow old. It doesn't matter, it's okay how old you decide to be. It's in the mind."

"When people say you're forever young, I laugh, becaus people judge you based on how long they've seen you on screen so they assume that you are as old as the length of the career. I don't bother trying to explain it, it doesn't make sense. So some people will see me and say "oh, you're aging gracefully", and I'm like are you kidding me right now? What happened to starting out early? But hey, the fact that I'm still here 25 years. I came to the industry in 1997 but I actually started acting in 1998."

"Your slow motion is better than No Motion"

"I know I am my greatest enemy. But the good thing is, I was able to harness into my heartbreak positively and create a great product."

"I keep a group of close-knit friends who inspire, build and challenge me to grow in my career."

"I would love for anyone who is on their parenting journey...maybe consider that the world has been optimized for brains that conform to societal norms but there are other brains that have helped us move forward in creativity, in laughter, in joy and there's a place for them.*"

"We can’t boycott other people’s music because we also go to their countries. Those who say that Nigerians have dominated our industry, it is just their opinion. I also travel to Congo, Tanzania, Nigeria, and so many other countries to perform. It is a form of music exchange but we need to plan for a way to have a fair trade so that our music also gets to be played in their country often. In this era, you can no longer say that you’re going to boycott music from other nations. Even when we do so, it will still infiltrate us through social media platforms whether we like it or not."

"I am a big attraction to this country musically but now is the time to attract people to Uganda in terms of tourism. Uganda is a beauty with a lot of attractions for the world to visit and explore."

"I have friends that find during flights and when you ask where they are going, they say they are headed to Kenya to tour yet we have all that Kenya has. It is high time Ugandans started visiting their own country."

"I really get the hang of it when I feel like my soul is intertwined with the character I’m playing. That excitement is beyond what words could describe. I feel the character’s pain, her helplessness, her everything. When I’m there, I secretly feel happy for my own acting."

"I’d say never give up on your dreams. Destiny strikes you when you are least prepared, but as long as you are prepared your dream will come true."

"A hard-working person might not end up being successful, but a successful person is most definitely a hard worker."

"I had high expectations of myself from the start. I think I had a rather smooth journey in showbiz — I always had work opportunities knocking on my door, but rather than being stressed over a lack of work, I put pressure on myself because I wanted to do better. When you want to become better, you put more pressure on yourself as well."

"There were too many unknowns, and that caused me to doubt myself. At the time, I also took awards more seriously. But after some time in the industry, I realised that it’s more important to treat your job seriously every day. Everything else is just a bonus."

"I need to see charisma, X-factor or something unique about the person. Something that will make me go ‘Wow’ the moment he or she walks on stage. Just like how it was when I was a rookie."

"What attracts people is the aura that you exude, rather than just good looks."

"I’m still learning how to be a good person. I feel that sometimes, I’m not objective enough. When you think of situations from a different point of view, you’ll discover that it might be the reason why disagreements occur in the first place. Learning to be more accepting of different points of views and mindsets is very important."

"If you’re happier, you’ll be healthier, and you’ll live longer too."

"I have liked fashion since I was small. Only after becoming the creative director of my fashion brand, did I realize that making a piece of apparel is nothing easy. The entire process starts from conceptualization, deciding on the materials, to production and sales and marketing, which are all very interesting to me. Most importantly, I believe fashion coexists with films. I actually have got many of my creative inspirations from films. Good fashion is timeless."

"I think things have their own ways of operation in different period or times. [Formerly], each entertainer was well polished before they were shown to the public. They were well protected. Now, with the effect of social media platforms, each entertainer is expected to present themselves very honestly. Live interviews are getting popular on social media now. The good side of it is that you can let your audience know what you are really like."

"Being knowledgeable is a prerequisite, only then can you be good at acting. Otherwise, you are just a flower vase."

"I think it’s lazy to think chemistry is about sex. This is not the industry I joined; this phenomenon of nudity is new. Thankfully, I was cast with someone who shares the same sentiment with me."

"Generally, men are not well represented in South African media. It is hard to watch TV and look at a man and wish your son would grow up to be like him or for your daughter to marry a man like him"

"The sky will never be the limit for you because you are destined for greater heights"

"My team and I put together a special luncheon where I got to meet and personally thank an amazing group of people for their love and support. We ate, we sang, we laughed and we cried."

"You have touched my heart in such a special way. And I wish each and every one of you the best in all that you wish and pray for."

"I don’t have any specific thing I’m going to do now. The one thing I can tell you is I’m definitely not going into retirement. I’m just going to have fun exploring and growing outside of my home, Muvhango"

"I’m looking forward to spending quality time with my husband, not the kind of time where you just see each after work then have to go off and read your lines"

"After 20 years‚ I’ve decided to give the Thandaza character a break in order for me to grow as an artist‚ venture out to explore new opportunities and discover what I can do as an actress and as a human being"

"Know your audience. The better your understanding of your audience the better you can communicate with them."

"Communication is key in any relationship and journalists are no different; for the more and clearer the information you give the better the relationship."

"Understanding what it is that a journalist needs; if you can make it any easier for a journalist to do his/her job it always helps."

"Try not to influence what a journalist writes, as long as they have the facts."

"As a kid I was bullied when I came to the UK because I was dark-skinned had short hair and just didn't fit in. I didn't speak that much English and was dyslexic so I had many challenges. But my mum was my inspiration as she encouraged me and said you can be whoever you want to be. I was always looking for inspiration and people who could inspire me, I wanted to listen to people's journeys."

"When you ask someone who inspires you they always say Bill Gates or Steve Jobs - there are no African names and we (Africans) have great African people doing great things."

"The best way to celebrate is to give those who lack. 40 years of life has been phenomenal and I want to continue impacting society and humanity."

""MANY DON’T KNOW TUNDE & I HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR 24 YRS""

""We’ll start off with some singles. It would eventually culminate into an album.""

""One of the first things that connected us was that we were both orphans’""

""Almost 15 years ago, I lost my immediate kid brother.""

""Going Through My Husband’s Phone Is Not Necessary"""

"Intimacy has been misconstrued! Why does everyone think Intimacy connotes sex?"

"Connection with somebody should be of heart and not a public spectacle."

"Surround yourself with happy people who will make you happy, because if you’re miserable, you’ll always feel ugly."

"You cannot forget your roots. Africa is like mother and child; you can’t separate them."

"It’s not every day you find people that have a love for the motherland and want to showcase our talent."

"I am not sure if there is much difference in music anywhere in the world. The world is a small place now with information technology."

"As a Nigerian singer, people don’t need to understand a word of what you are saying to enjoy your music."

"If I were a politician, I would make sure to spread love among my people but eliminating tribalism."

"The best part of my job is the friendship i create with my clients and never knowing who would walk through my door. It is always a joy an honor to serve."

"I hold the belief that each person is born with unique gifts and is sometimes unaware of what those gifts entail. Yet, there’s that moment when you recognize something—a skill or passion, and a resonance within you shouts, “I can do that!” It’s not an easy journey, but once you tap into it, challenge yourself, and undergo the necessary training, you realize it’s achievable."

"I firmly believe that when you invest in building yourself and strive to become a better version, everything else falls into place."

"Honestly think that everybody can achieve what they want."

"You cannot keep relying on people, you have to rely on yourself."

"Things will come, temptation will come, the devil will try to use people to bring you down and destroy you. If you’re a child of God, as long as your conscience is clear and you know that God sees all, just put everything in the hands of God."

"In everything you do, you try to expand and move up and earn more and gain more and be more recognized."

"I don’t have a problem with money as I spend less than I earn."

"I don’t mind being so busy. Because I’m in both careers, acting and singing, it takes a lot of my time. I do prefer singing over acting, but really I love to do both."

"I think time has a great effect on the quality of your work. You can do 100 things and get 80 marks for your effort. If you want to get 100 marks, then maybe you won’t even be able to do 10 projects in a year."

"In the past, I think I may have earned 70-something marks for my efforts but recently that has gone up to 80-something. Before, the most important things to me were fame and fortune, and security."

"Other than knowing how to act, I have also learnt to be a better human being. I always wanted people to say I was a good actor or a good singer. When they did, I would always feel secretly proud of myself. That feeling is gone now."

"I’ve done more than 100 movies, but I have to ask myself how many of those did I really like and how many did I do for the money? I don’t need to do it for the money any more so now I want to do the kinds of films that make me happy and that can help the industry as well."

"I’m a very lucky guy. Not a lot of people can have their lives so much in tandem with the changes around us. I have the ability and I work hard, but the same goes for a lot of other people. It’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time."

"I decided to go into show business because I liked drama and wrote a screenplay when I was in Form Two or Form Three. Initially, I aimed to be a director, but my teacher classified me as an actor, so he chose the career for me."

"Acting and singing are ways to communicate with those who grew up with me. I could not abandon my supporters just because I have earned enough money to quit."

"Money is not my priority. In fact, I think I am the lowest-paid artist in the city because I am willing to give up part of my payment to pay for production costs."

"You can say I am investing in myself. I want to produce the best films and the best concerts for my audience, to win their respect for me. I want my supporters to be proud of my performance. I may receive less, but getting people’s respect is a high return."

"As long as you have learned to enjoy your life, and you’re happy with both the effort you made and the reward you receive over that period, that’s good enough."

"I always say that all problems happen due to miscommunication between people. That's the birthplace."

"But I just want to let you know that my daughter and I have zero barriers. We have perfect communication! My father, though, was a firefighter. There was zero communication with us. He believed that you just grow up. Do you need nourishment or culture? No, you will grow up as is."

"I have a child of my own. If kids see me lying around doing nothing, they might wonder when they can be like me. This will set a bad example."

"I’m accustomed to being hardworking. It’s misleading to say I’m a model worker, but I guess it’s good to encourage young people."

"If I get an award, it is wonderful, but if I don’t, it’s okay because I know how much effort I have put into something. That’s what you need to do every time you start any work – you need to make sure you do your very best and just be yourself. That’s more important."

"I’m ready for Hollywood, as long as Hollywood is ready for me."

"When you’re blessed with a gift, it’s beyond making it seem logical."

"Music is like the first rocket. When it detaches, it goes wherever it needs to go."

"I’ll not say everything has a 100% plan. Sometimes I just go for it because I believe that I can do it however it turns out."

"“I let how I feel affect how I look. Authenticity has always been key for me and my audience. They know that I tell the truth. I talk about the good and the bad of love, relationships and life. It’s not anything contrived. I don’t let people come in and make something up. It’s really me.”"

"I don’t slight anybody else’s plight, but it’s no joke. It’s demanding on the body, and on the mind because you are using your creativity constantly. But it also offers a sense of peace, when this is something that you truly love. People don’t realize the wear-and-tear that it can put on your body — traveling, performing and dealing with seemingly simple things like allergies that can affect performances. But it’s definitely freeing of the mind."

"It’s 50 percent because it speaks for you before you say a word. You look at someone and you can almost get a vibe from them in how they carry themselves and how they’re dressed."

"It’s very round-the-way chic. I love runway, but I also love where I am from — the south side of Atlanta, Georgia. A lot of the things I wear are indicative of that urban lifestyle. I love Milano Di Rouge, Marni, Dolce & Gabbana and Christian Dior. On stage, I love to be very dramatic and over-the-top."

"Cyndi B shoots me based upon my mood. Often my stylist Jeremy and I will pick clothes based on the city I’m going to and the relationship I have with that city. My second home is New Orleans and I have an extreme love for Los Angeles, Chicago and many other cities. Cyndi has been with me for more than five years. We’ve come a long way, because we have grown with each other. We didn’t study anyone else. She studies the way that I move, things I like to do. She knows when I am in a super joyful mood or a mood that is more indicative of my song “So Gone.” That is definitely a place I have found myself multiple times with relationships."

"In Los Angeles, I might go more runway chic. That’s a place where people study fashion. A lot of [designer] brands have even had shows there. We’re definitely ripping the runway, when we’re in L.A. In New Orleans, there are thee most genuine, loving, festive, fun people that you will ever meet in your life. We dress accordingly. We have a ball. It’s important to embrace people for who they are and what they stand for in each of those different cities."

"Activism has always been important to me. Growing up in a church that only holds 100 people, a big part of what we do is to give back and stay active in communities. I started the BeHuman Foundation in Atlanta to take care of families consistently, not just for a holiday. We have worked with American Cancer Society. I recorded a record [“Pink”] for breast cancer awareness with some legends like Rita Wilson and Miss Dolly Parton. BeHuman enables me to give back however I want to. The name BeHuman means loving your brother, your sister as yourself. That means being there for people in their times of need"

"The reality is a lot of people, who live here and are from here, that have been influential in creating a great space for us to work in [are fueling it]. Tyler Perry’s movie studios [located on 330 acres of historic property] changed a lot for a lot of people. He is really committed to serving the community by creating jobs and opportunities"