1. How did you stay so grounded at a young age?
I believe that what kept me grounded was my family, I’ve always had my Mom, Grandma
or a family member traveling with me and they’ve always kept negativity away from me.
My mom would always tell me, “Fame and Money can come and go so you should
always stay real. People get caught up on material things, get big headed and spend all
their money.” So the love and guidance of my family and having good friends around
me (that are honest and tell me the truth) helped me too.
What are some ways in which you take care of your voice?
Seth Riggs was my vocal coach and I’ve always tried to continue to do his vocal lessons.
Vocal cords are muscles so like all muscles if you don’t use them you will lose them. I try
to always sing (around the house, everywhere I go) to keep my vocal cords in good
shape and I drink a lot of tea.
What was it like performing a duet in Spanish and English?
It was so much fun singing in Spanish, my dear friend Gina Benavidez translated, ”If I
Never Knew You” to Spanish so she helped me. I actually finished the Spanish version
quicker than the English, which was so funny to me.
I would love to do an entire album in Spanish. After Selena passed away Gina would
teach me Selena songs and while I was on tour with Nsync when we were in San
Antonio, Texas, I decided to do a tribute to Selena and sang, ”Como La Flor” Acappella
and I got standing ovation which touched my heart.
How did you prepare for the role of Eponine in Les Miserables?
At that time I was going through a horrible break-up which help me prepare for that role
because Eponine (her songs) were very heartbreaking and sad. That’s how I felt at the
time…heartbroken.
I almost lost the part because every time I had to sing “On My Own” I couldn’t get
through the song but Richard Jay Alexander (Director/Executive Producer) believed in
me. Once while we were meeting with the conductor he said, “ I don’t know if she can
do this” Richard Jay said “She will be fine, she is going through something and once she
is on stage she will be okay and I was… THANK YOU RICHARD JAY-ALEXANDER
What is your secret to maintaining a household and full time career?
God, Patience and Love
I believe a part of my purpose here on this earth is to sing, God has been my strength
and opens doors for me. Patience, because the main purpose of my life is being a wife
and mother. We try to keep our family included in all we do, like when my husband Flex
had his show “One on One” we would keep our children involved.
My daughter loves to sing and I recently co-wrote a song for Barak Obama “The
President We Need” my children sing on the song, So that makes them feel a part of
both my worlds.