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" The biggest thing is, when I was coming up, the thing that made you wonderful was your uniqueness. People celebrated that. "

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" Oh my gosh, I love Jon Hendricks. "

" I grew up listening to all kinds of music. When I came up, you would hear people like Marvin Gaye talking about Sarah Vaughan. You would go to a show and see Ella Fitzgerald performing the music of the Beatles. "

" The thing that I tell young people is everybody is unique in their approach to the music, and you have to protect that. "

" Early on, I started with classical voice and had that wonderful foundation. For where I wanted to go at that time, there were no teachers to teach it, so I came up with all kinds of different ways to develop the sound of my voice. "

" If a song feels good to me, it's not very difficult to make it my own. "

" In high school, we had a really great jazz program that I finally was able to be a part of. They only wanted instrumentalists; they didn't want any singers. But I made my way in, and I remember the conductor of the band wrote a lot of arrangements and asked me what I wanted to sing. "

" Jazz is such a living art form. It happens right in the moment. You weave a story by changing certain elements and components. "

" I look back at Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, and especially Betty Carter, whom I admire the most, and I say, OK, they set a standard of excellence. I listen to them not for what they are doing, but to study where they are coming from because, for me, jazz is life experience. "

" Art and culture and all of these things - they really matter. They shape your individuality. "

" Even in a world with much sadness, at its essence, life is beautiful. "

" Your voice is not your instrument. Your voice is the character that you build, your innermost feelings, the things that you want to say, and your instrument is the vehicle that you use to carry the message. "

" When I sing a song, I want someone to recognize 'Now that's Dianne singing that song.' "

" My mother would say, 'Stay ready so you don't have to get ready.' I spent a lot of my early years preparing for beautiful moments that have unfolded in my life so far. "

" The Confederate flag is a divisive presence - it's the opposite of everything my artistry means and represents. "

" The music industry is changing. You only hear a sprinkling of big names, but there are a lot of really wonderful young musicians with great voices and lyrical content who have refined their sound. They're up in here, so don't think they're not. There's this wealth of talent below the surface that's ready to explode. "

" I grew up with great mentors in my life who helped me become the singer I am today. "

" My friend Harry Belafonte is an activist and musician, an extraordinary man who has dedicated his life to human rights. He taught me the power of words and that music can be used to heal and educate people. "

" I loved singing something like 'I've Got My Eye On You' when it's really about the FBI. It turns a love song into something else! "

" I believe that music should really be without boundaries. "

" My foundation is jazz. I do all the things jazz musicians do. "

" In any event, I'm proud to wear the badge of jazz vocalist if that's what people want to call me; but at the same time, there are many other things I like to do. "

" Each project that you do is something you believe in for that moment in time. "

" Some people think that all you do is record, and it's not the case. You take on other projects as well, and you have to live a little bit because it inspires your work. "

" I'm a chameleon. When you put me in certain soils, musically speaking, I will be in that place. "

" My records are one thing. My live performances are something totally different because they're very improvised performances. "

" The way I look at it, people pay me to travel. Once we get to the stage, that part is easy. "

" When I worked with my uncle, I loved the fact that jazz music demanded that you use your own unique approach. "

" I had really great art classes. Really great art teachers. Arts played a very important role in having a place to express yourself uniquely. "

" I have a sketch of an idea and I never really talk about: perhaps do another jazz record, but with other elements involved. "

" My junior high school teacher, Bennie Williams, was really more than a music teacher. She taught us poetry. She helped us put on school shows. She did all these kinds of things to help us stand in each other's shoes, and it was a really powerful time. That's when I discovered that I could sing. "