Vonda Shepard quotes:

James Ralston, my guitar player, has performed with Tina Turner for about 22 years. Jim Hanson on bass has played with Johnny Cash, Rodney Crowell and Bruce Springsteen, and they're fantastic musicians and amazing singers they get a really cool vocal sound together.

I do a lot of touring, yes, and I have my whole life ever since I was 19 years old, when I used to tour with Al Jarreau, Rickie Lee Jones, and Jackson Browne as a side musician.

I've been through the entire gamut of the music industry - I've been playing in clubs since I was 14, and I've been on Warner Bros, on Sony - I've had lots of successes and some serious times of struggle.

Ally McBeal walks down the streets crying, looking for the right man. I don't do that.

My advice is if you have to do music, then do it! There's no choice in your heart and your soul - unless you have that kind of great need, desire and determination, it's pretty tough out there!

Having drive is a big part of success, along with integrity. You need to have a clear vision of what you want and take the steps to achieve it, even if that sometimes means playing gigs in tiny clubs.

Starting young has definitely helped my success. All the experience I gained by touring with other players as a backing artist helped to prepare me for my own big break.

I could have become a mime or a juggler, but I became a singer-songwriter instead.

I just kept making records, touring in Europe a lot, and then I had a baby in 2006, so my life has been very, very much family-orientated.

I was born singing. My father tells this story about when I was 3 weeks old, how I would rock in the crib and sing in the crib all night long. My crib would roll across the floor in the middle of the night. Finally, my father nailed its legs to the floor.

I don't have much time for TV shows, but if I did, I'd watch 'Seinfeld' reruns.

My stint with 'Ally McBeal' is something I never planned nor expected.

The last thing I wanted was a big paycheck but no inspiration or support.

My nature is... well... I'm a searcher by nature. I'm constantly searching for something; that's why I have a song called 'Looking for Something.' How do I do it? I read a lot of spiritual books; I meditate.

At first, I wanted to start my own label, but it was such a full-time job that it became too much.

I had a very artistic bohemian childhood. My father was an actor and a mime.

My nature is to worry about everything too much.

I thought nothing would ever happen for me. My whole life had been geared toward being a singer, and it wasn't clicking.

Playing clubs is the ultimate - you see the faces; you hear the 'clicking' glasses - I love all that atmosphere and seeing people's mouths singing the words to the songs.

I seem to be drawn to the really romantic songs.