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For the longest time, I wanted to become a pianist. That was kinda my thing.

Then, for a hot three or four weeks I wanted to be a concert pianist.

I had studied piano since I was 13, but I was surrounded by students who'd been playing since they were 5. I realized I was never going to be anything but mediocre.

I wanted to be a pianist but it just wasn't my thing. I guess I wanted to stand up rather than sit down.

I was for a minor amount of time but I was probably a better pianist at 15 than I am now.

But when I was a teenager, the idea of spending the rest of my life in a factory was real depressing. So the idea that I could become a musician opened up some possibilities I didn't see otherwise.

The best decision I ever made, period, was to get into the music business.

With my quick success, I didn't have time to learn the ropes of the music business. Because my first record was such a hit, I was terribly spoiled and I thought I couldn't do anything wrong. I was also desperate to make tons of money because of my responsibility to my daughter. And there was no longer any joy in making music.

Last year, I finally got my own grand piano, and that was a big thing for me because it's always been and always will be a very important part of my life.

I was much more interested in the orchestra than the piano, but I did become fairly proficient as a pianist and my teachers felt I had talent and wanted me to become a good concert pianist and earn my living that way.