Quotes from Valerie Simpson

We have been playing to a 70-30 black to white audience. And we are just doing what should come next, trying to attract a larger house, trying to reach an audience that's half black and white.

My daughters are here, and that makes me feel good. And with the spirit of Nick Ashford, I think I'll make it through. I have no choice.

In the future I think the labels on most pop music are going to go. Everyone keeps jumping into everyone else's space.

When you're a producer and an artist you're very critical of yourself. I like to produce other people, but I'm not that good at producing myself.

I guess I'm in a state of becoming. Even though I've had a full career and I've been around a long time, it's like dinosaurs are coming back. It's all new. I'm having to be on my own and seeing how exciting life can be now.

If you don't try and force it, a song will find the proper moment to come to life.

I've already lived one full life, and so now I'm about to endeavor to see what else the good Lord has in store for me, and I'm wide open.

There is a formula that allows you to write a decent song. But a song like 'You're All I Need to Get By,' it just writes itself.

We stand on our songs and we stand on the songs that we wrote for other people. That gives us a higher platform.

In transition I think the spirit goes somewhere, but I don't think it leaves.

It's a songwriter's dream to have a song recorded and run up the charts.

And it's a lot harder to hide with four musicians than it is with eight.

It's interesting when you've been a partner with someone for so long. So now to sing solo and starting all over again I am learning that I am more bodacious than I thought. I don't know where it's coming from but I am glad.

Both my grandmothers had upright pianos, and I just knew how to play since I was a child. Nobody taught me. I sounded like a grown-up, and then I learned how to read music. I played so well by ear I could fool the teacher to believe I could play the notes. She'd make the mistake of playing the song once, and I could play it.

Motown was the mecca. It was every writer's dream to work there.

It's interesting when you've been a partner with someone for so long. So now to sing solo and starting all over again I am learning that I am more bodacious than I thought. I don't know where it's coming from but I am glad.

Both my grandmothers had upright pianos, and I just knew how to play since I was a child. Nobody taught me. I sounded like a grown-up, and then I learned how to read music. I played so well by ear I could fool the teacher to believe I could play the notes. She'd make the mistake of playing the song once, and I could play it.