- [Madison Square Garden, 1995] This is for all of you out there tonight, reaching for a dream - don't ever give up! Never ever listen to anyone, when they try to discourage you, because they do that, believe me!
- [taking a swipe at her critics at the 1999 Billboard Music awards] Forget the image, forget the ensemble, forget the rumors, forget the short skirts, the big hair, whatever! I owe this to the fans and I will never forget you so I want to accept this award on behalf of all of you. We've come a long way and I feel like I'm just getting started. Because as an artist, and most importantly as a person, I am genuinely happy to finally be free to be who I am. Thank you.
- There is a light at the end of the tunnel . . . hopefully it's not a freight train!
- Music is what I love and it's what I feel and it's in me and to know that I can do something that I enjoy and hopefully bring some enjoyment to other people through what I do is an incrediable feeling and I am just really thankful for it
- [on the importance of her music] One person could say, "'Hero' is a schmaltzy piece of garbage', but another person can write me a letter and say, "I've considered committing suicide every day of my life for the last ten years until I heard that song and I realized after all I can be my own hero". And that, that's an unexplainable feeling, like I've done something with my life, ya know?
- [interview in Hip Hop Magazine] A lot of the time they [the media] form the idea in listeners' minds. Calling me a "pop diva" without listening to my work so when I come out with an urban song it's like, "Pop diva goes black". I mean, puh-lease.
- Butterflies are always following me, everywhere I go.
- I'm not one of those people that goes into details of my personal life on national TV to get attention. Some things are better left unsaid
- A lot of people are singing about how screwed up the world is, and I don't think that everybody wants to hear about that all the time.
- I'm not vain, I'm insecure.
- I decided to make my own ski-wear range after I found there were no fashion outfits for me to wear on the piste.
- It's hard to be someone that people talk about and write about, you know? They don't know me.
- I prayed very hard for this to happen and it happened. I don't even think about what I've achieved, I haven't focused on it and I wish I had, because I really want to enjoy it, and I don't know if I am enjoying it, because I am going through my life like a bulldozer. I still haven't marveled at it. I don't mind being compared to [Whitney Houston], there are people miles worse to be compared to, but if you really listen there's a difference.
- People all of a sudden just see me and hear me having hit records and it seems to have come out of the blue. But really I have been working towards this my whole life, and this is what I say when people say I haven't paid my dues.
- What I write is all from my imagination. Fact is, I haven't had time to experience all that, but that doesn't mean to say that I don't write from the heart, because I do. I put myself in other women's shoes, I can feel their pain and joy when I think about it. It's all the same, we're all women.
- There's never been anything else in my life that inspired me at all. It's crazy, but I've always loved music and I've always known this was what I wanted to do. I can't remember a time when I didn't want to be a singer.
- Someone said I never paid any dues. I feel my whole life was struggling, because we were poor. We were alone, we had nothing--no security. I feel I have paid my dues. I've been paying my dues all my life.
- [on her parents' divorce] They went through some very hard times before I was born. They had their dogs poisoned, their cars set on fire and blown up. It put a strain on their relationship that never quit. There was always this tension. They just fought all the time.
- I've always said that my father is half black and half Venezuelan and my mother is Irish. But people don't understand. They can't fathom that I'm African-American, Venezuelan and Irish.
- And maybe there are some people out there who think a quarter Venezuelan is not a lot . . . Well, I may be only one quarter, but it's a strong quarter.
- There was a time when all I was allowed to do was go to gay clubs, because my quote-unquote husband was so afraid of me being around straight people.
- [on her glamor influences] Raquel Welch, Ursula Andress--I liked their little ensembles . . . You've got to throw Farrah Fawcett in there, too. I had the Farrah doll. She was my little style inspiration.
- [on her height] I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be obliged to raise their head.
- I rarely go to bed before 5 or 6 am. I am a girl of the night. I hate getting up before 2 pm. And when I get up, I don't have breakfast, just a slice of pizza. I'm composing my songs in bed, because I'm getting inspired when I'm about to sink into sleep. The night inspires me.
- I'd humbly like to become an inspiration to the biracial kids, who are the population of the new millennium. I'm everything and nothing at the same time: white, black and Latino. If I've managed to be accepted, the others can do it, too.
- I can remember when I told myself for the first time, "I'm going to be rich and famous". I was about 5 or 6. I was in my mother's car, an old green dirty car. My sister was there, too. She was humming; she was about 15, she had just gotten married because she was pregnant. We were on a supermarket parking lot, and I was looking at the wealthy people through the window; I told myself, "I am going to be a star and I'll buy all these things for us".
- I was the world's worst waitress.
- [on not wanting to have kids] I would feel violated . . . I know that's a kind of weird thing to say, but that's how I am . . . It's hard to have kids in this world. I don't think I could properly educate a child right now. Maybe in the future, but I actually haven't thought about it. For now I enjoy my dog Jack's company. It's definitely because of childhood traumatic stuff. The whole not wanting to have a baby as a baby.
- George Michael, you were such an inspiration. I'm honored to have not only been your fan, but a friend as well. Rest in peace.
- It's true. The two lowest octaves are probably there because of the smoking. But of course it's not good to smoke. I always had a cold and constant throatache. One day I promised God that if he would give me my voice back I would never smoke again. I got three octaves back after quitting.
- If you believe in yourself enough and know what you want, you're gonna make it happen.
- [TRL appearance, 2001] I just want one day off when I can go swimming and eat ice cream and look at rainbows.
- I know I can be diva-ish sometimes, but I have to be in control. The nature of my life, the nature of what I do, is divadom, it really is.
- Whatever you're going through in your life, don't ever give up.
- [L.A. Times, November 1993] It's not easy that everything you do, everybody has to come in and critique it and give their opinion. Sometimes it does help me and sometimes it hurts me as a person. That's life. I have feelings.
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