What's crazy, though, is that my career and my personal life are so intertwined because I've been doing music for so long. It is hard to tell where one thing stops and the other one begins. All my life I have been a student of music and going to music school, so I have prepared myself to be immersed in it.
Do you think that formal training helped you develop your own style, or hindered you from finding your voice?
I don't think that anything that you do to enhance your knowledge of your field will hurt you. It only helped me to become a better artist, to know as much as I can about my craft, about my instrument, about what it is that I do.
Is there a particular lesson that you wish you knew when you first started off?
I wish I knew everything I know now when I first started. [laughing] I learned a lot of things. Don't wear white on TV. Get enough sleep on the road. Don't smoke. Don't drink. Make sure your business is taken care of. It has been quite a journey and I am still learning.
For more information on Lalah Hathaway, visit her official website.
Article comments
1 - Nicole Houston
Wonderful interview Clayton! Well done!