My greatest influence would have to be Sam Cooke, who was one of the first African-American artists to control his career, from writing, to producing to eventually owning his own record company. Other composers that I admire are Smokey Robinson, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Stevie Wonder and Jimmy Webb. I am inspired by Sade because she is a great talent that is over 50 and still going strong.
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