I managed to survive the worst things any entertainer could possibly go through.

I imagine there are a lot of people who will never be able to accept me because they feel I've let them down, but I am a different person, and most people have welcomed me back in that spirit.

Las Vegas has the type of audience - and they haven't changed since my father's days - they're still boring and bored. And there's only that handful of artists that they really enjoy and know how to respond to.

I've always been interested in the office. I was a secretary a long time ago, and I've always been into paperwork. My first secretarial job was 1965 or 1966.

I was pretty young, but because of that first record, 'Cole Espanol,' we took our first trip - well, my first trip - to Mexico.

As kids, we had no clue about the racial stuff that seemed to preoccupy adults. We just enjoyed our life as kids.

I had to make peace with my past because I can't change it.

I think people just want to be popular. So they're going to write lyrics that are going to get your attention. You know, sometimes, they're a little graphic, and I don't think that's so necessary.

I think we need to be sexy and kind of mysterious and still pretty and beautiful. I like to hear that when a man sings. I don't really want to hear about taking my clothes off.

I couldn't breathe. I - I went into - literally, my kidneys stopped functioning. They stopped, you know, processing the fluid that was starting to build up in my body.

I continually acted up to get attention. My father gave me that, and once he left, I felt that I didn't have any.

I can laugh at myself because I've had to. Everything would have been much worse if I'd been the singing son of Nat 'King' Cole.

If you don't have dialysis, absolutely, you will die. Dialysis is actually keeping me alive.

I started saying, 'I don't want to be crazy anymore.' I need to make some changes. And the first thing I started doing was just got all the men out of my life, because that was a big problem for me. That was a crutch, if you will. You know, trying to define yourself through other people or men, in particular.

The worst I think that I ever was, when 'Unforgettable' had come out, and not long after that I was on - I was on my way to my second divorce. And that was a crushing, crushing blow.

I still love recording and still love the stage, but like my dad, I have the most fun when I am in front of that glorious orchestra or that kick-butt big band.

When I sang my father's songs in concert, that was all people wanted to hear. I was always asking myself, 'Can I measure up?'

I've always adored my father's music, but ever since I'd started singing, whether it was while I was still a student at the University of Massachusetts or professionally, I avoided Dad's material.

I'd sometimes fly for 14 hours, then go straight to dialysis. I spent a little time being tired, but we managed. I'm not a pity-party person.

Like my father, I don't want to see anyone mistreated, anything like that. I'm very racial-conscious because my father had a lot of, you know, challenges in the area of race. I'm very sensitive to that kind of issue.

One thing that stays the same is my passion for music. Other than that, I've become more dedicated. I think that I really work much harder than I ever did when I first started at my craft; I'm more dedicated, and I have become a perfectionist.

My father was a pioneer in so many ways. He was fearless, and I think that I kind of picked that up from him as well.

Being my dad's daughter has allowed me to do a lot of things that maybe another artist might not be able to do or wouldn't be necessarily embraced doing.

I didn't realize I was still grieving for my father at 30-something.

I get hugs all the time from strangers. I do believe that people can feel your persona when you perform live, but it is one of the nicest things if you can translate that on your records.

I think people hear the warmth in my voice and the friendliness, and they think: 'Oh, she must be a very nice person'.

There were so many groups that I had in college, but I was always the solo singer. But what made it so unusual back in the day was that I was a black girl playing with all these white musicians, and I was also singing rock music on top of it.

When you reach 50, what you care about is being honest, being accurate, and being an example.

I like to grow and experiment, and as an artist, it's about kicking the bar up a little.

People say I look younger than the music I'm doing just because the songs are older. Hopefully I can keep my youthful look!

We have to stop rewarding bad behavior.

Even when I had no money, I spent everything I had on clothes.

The dialysis is to wash my blood, to keep my kidneys functioning.

I love what I do so much. I just keep going. Not much can bring me down.

I thank my dad for leaving me such a wonderful, wonderful heritage.

There are a lot of great artists with great voices who aren't singing what they should be singing.

What makes me really happy is a walk in the English countryside. A nice sunset, that British countryside - it means I'm home.

I get accused of having a haughty smugness. I have a lopsided mouth. I can't help it. I was born with it. It looks as if I am smirking. I have had my publicist tell me, 'Don't do that smile on the red carpet.' I'm, like, 'That's my smile.'

I'm always open to trying out new things.

Sometimes a woman's looks or sensuality are too readily wrapped up in their power.

I have been to Canada several times. It was autumn when I visited Vancouver, and I will always remember the colour of the trees in British Columbia were stunning.

Shaving half my head was a look that meant I could go punkier with my style.

Madonna is completely down-to-earth. She's an absolute professional.

So many little girls dream about their wedding day. But with actresses, sometimes it's the inverse, because we get to be the centre of attention, looked up and down, dressed up for premieres all the time. The pull isn't quite as great.

The most amazing set where I've shot 'Game of Thrones' is definitely Croatia, in Dubrovnik. It's such a stunning country with lots of good watersports there as well. Just a beautiful, beautiful place.

I'm a quasi-only child. With my brother and sister, I've more of a tendency to be semi-maternal. So, yes, I spent a lot of time talking to myself - I had this big dressing-up box and would just dress up as lots of characters and talk back to myself... Verging on schizophrenia, I suppose, if you analyse it carefully.

I'm very lucky to be in projects that have such skilled writing in them.

Long skirts are annoying; they get in the way.

I've been spoiled rotten with the costumes I've worn.

When you have that long, flowing hair, you feel different - when you cut it, the framing of your face changes immediately.