You see the genius that Whitney Houston has as an interpreter of material, and you realize why genius can be applied to only a few interpretive performers. She finds meaning and depth and soulfulness in a song that often the writer and composer never really knew was there.

Clive Davis

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I was heavily influenced by big voices when I was younger. People like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti Labelle really spoke to me. When I got older, I was into Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and Lauryn Hill, but it wasn't until I started working with a voice coach that I really dove into jazz music.

Andra Day

Work Music Art

My dad would always play Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Anita Baker, so I fell in love with them. I would try to make my voice sound like theirs.

Ari Lennox

Love Car Would

Mariah and Whitney Houston were my goddesses growing up.

Ariana Grande

God Wing Win

I would love to play, perhaps not exactly Mimi in 'Rent,' but someone like her. Perhaps not on Broadway, but I think I feel like a musical is in my future. I sing, although I'm not Whitney Houston up in here. I'm a little bit shy about my singing, but I did it in school at Juilliard.

Betty Gabriel

Music Love Future

I'd always sing 'Greatest Love of All' by Whitney Houston. I just want to make clear, though, you know those people on 'Star Search' who are the little 7-year-olds that sound like Christina Aguilera? That wasn't me.

Bishop Briggs

Love Great You

It's easy to forget, given her scandal-tinged life and tragic death, how incredibly talented Whitney Houston was. She holds the world record as the most-awarded female act of all time, with over 415 major recognitions during her career. She is the only artist to chart seven consecutive number one songs.

Charles Duhigg

War Time Life

Given how majestically slim she always was, it's a little odd to admit that I can remember bellowing that Whitney Houston was The Heavyweight Champion of the World! on the MTV News floor back in the '90s.

Chris Connelly

World Wing Win

There's sadness to anyone that dies before their time, and specifically ones that seem to affect people in a positive way. It doesn't matter if it's Whitney Houston or a nameless, faceless person on the street. That's just as big of a tragedy for me.

Chris Cornell

Time Sad Positive

Whitney Houston and Ella Fitzgerald are my musical mothers. I learned everything I know about true R&B, pop and jazz singing from these stunning performers and unparalleled musicians.

Ciara Renee

Music Whitney Houston Whitney

My introduction of Whitney was that if there's going to be one performer for the next generation who combined the beauty and lyric phrasing of a Lena Horne with those Gospel fiery roots of an Aretha Franklin, it would be Whitney Houston.

Clive Davis

Would Wit Who

You see the genius that Whitney Houston has as an interpreter of material, and you realize why genius can be applied to only a few interpretive performers. She finds meaning and depth and soulfulness in a song that often the writer and composer never really knew was there.

Clive Davis

You Writer Write

I'm the keeper of the flame for Whitney Houston. She was the greatest... and I don't want the world to forget that.

Clive Davis

Great World Whitney Houston

I loved Michael Jackson and Madonna. I styled my hair like Whitney Houston.

Concha Buika

Love Whitney Houston Whitney

I would have hated for my 'Drag Race' moment to have come down to lip syncing a Whitney Houston song.

Courtney Act

Mom Men Would

Mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston, I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song, and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'

Dolly Parton

Love Death Art

I naturally gravitated first to R&B and pop: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle.

Gabby Barrett

Whitney Houston Whitney Us

When I was a little bitty kid, I was listening to the stuff my parents were listening to. My mom was a huge Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige fan. My dad had a cover band that I sang with, and he loved Parliament, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton, the blues, James Brown.

Gabriella Wilson

Mom Men Love

I've been singing love songs since I was a toddler, I was singing Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and even Alicia Keys song, that helped my writing so much.

Gabriella Wilson

Love Car Writing

I was born in the '80s, so I don't really remember it very strongly, but the music is so iconic. And so those artists - Madonna, Prince, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston - you still hear those songs all the time. And there's such a distinctive style - the clothes, the shoulder pads, the big hair, the perm.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Time Music Art

I love Whitney Houston. I absolutely love her song, 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody.'

Hayley Orrantia

You know, the funny thing was that I grew up listening to, like Whitney Houston and Cece Winans, and a lot of American singers.

Heather Headley

When Whitney Houston died, I felt great sadness. My sadness, of course, was about our collective loss - when you listened to this nightingale sing, your body would drop into a chair, your head would tilt up, a small smile would creep across your face, and inside you knew that there was a higher power somewhere: gifted, beautiful, spiritual.

James Belushi

One musical that deeply influenced me - and continues to do so - is the 1997 ABC TV movie of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Cinderella,' starring Brandy, with Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother and Whoopi Goldberg as the prince's mom.

Janet Mock

What if Whitney was at her top, and we brought in a name like Whitney Houston, it would sell.

Jenifer Lewis

I'm not like Stephanie Mills or Whitney Houston with actual hits. My fans think everything I did was a hit.

Jennifer Holliday

I've always looked up to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey for their outstanding vocal performances. I've always been inspired by them.

Jessica Mauboy

My dad listened to a lot of James Taylor when I was growing up. We had a couple of his cassettes in the car, and we'd go on a lot of long family car trips. It was either strange musicals or James Taylor - or Whitney Houston. It was quite the combination there.

Jessie Mueller

My mum liked gospel and R&B, Chaka Khan, and Whitney Houston.

Kamasi Washington

I wasn't the biggest hip-hop fan, because I had to listen to whatever my parents listened to, so growing up, it was a lot of Dolly Parton, Elvis, and Whitney Houston. When they finally put a TV in my room and I got to listen to MTV Jams I was like: 'Here I am!'

Karen Civil

It's not like we don't have any talent. We can't sing like Whitney Houston, but we can sing well.

Keren Woodward

I would say Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' is up there - it's one of the best.

Kevin Olusola

I'm not one of those people that's like, 'I'm about to serve on this Whitney Houston song at like 2 A.M.' No. Karaoke? I'm just like, 'Live your best life.' We're not worried about those notes, we just living.

KiKi Layne

I wanted to bring back that big, ballad type of music that we used to love so much. Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, when they first came out, that's what I grew up singing.

LaToya London

I loved Celine Dion. I loved Whitney Houston and these big powerhouse vocals.

Lauren Daigle

I love Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Brandi, Sade, Nat King Cole. I like the Beatles. I listen to a lot of that.

Leah LaBelle

My way of connecting to the community that I imagined was out there somewhere for me, but wasn't there right now was to download tons and tons of discographies of famed divas. So I had Christina Aguilera's discography, Whitney Houston's discography, Mariah Carey's discography, all of that.

Liv Bruce

I've had offers to sign a record deal, but the people I've talked to have wanted to package me and have me meet with songwriters who've written stuff for Whitney Houston, that sort of thing. That's not at all my style.

Lukas Haas

Growing up, I was in all the musicals and everything... I'd come home from school and bash out a few Whitney Houston songs.

Mallory Jansen

Whether looking at pop music, hip-hop or R&B, it's rare to find an artist who hasn't been touched or affected by the power and soul of gospel music. In fact, many of today's popular artists such as Whitney Houston, John Legend, and Katy Perry started their careers in the church choir.

Marvin Sapp

I wanted to be Whitney Houston at first, and when I started taking voice lessons, my voice teacher kind of geared me more towards opera.

Megan Hilty

Whitney Houston's voice was the very first voice I fell in love with. She was the voice that made me want to become a singer.

Melanie Fiona

I don't take karaoke seriously at all. I'm not the type of person who will go and belt out Whitney Houston.

Melissa Benoist

I used to listen to a lot of music in my studio - all the time. But as far as the music that interplays with my work, what I've done and still do is keep a lyric book and song title. The material typically comes from Eartha Kitt, Betty Davis, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston.

Mickalene Thomas

I'm very proud of my love for Whitney Houston. She really changed my life. She made my life a better life. She was so beautiful in her love for God, her love for her family and her love for music. She truly loved her music. She could do everything! She had flawless rhythm, flawless pitch, flawless feeling, and flawless beauty.

Narada Michael Walden

What Whitney Houston has accomplished will never be accomplished. She's the most famous person on the planet as far as vocaling and her songs. So I'm very happy that I can sit here and say I had a chance to know her. And I'm still dazed that she's gone. But she lives because her music is so powerful.

Narada Michael Walden

I love jazz and pop rock and country. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Def Leppard, AC/DC, Anne Murray - if I hear something really great... I want to be a part of it.

Natalie MacMaster

One of my biggest inspirations growing up was Whitney Houston, so I was devastated to hear about her passing. I'm from East Orange, New Jersey, and started singing at New Hope Baptist Church, so she was like my fellow Jersey girl.

Naturi Naughton

I come from a strong religious background, and I had a very conservative upbringing. So I was nervous, and confused. Here I was wanting to be Whitney Houston, so why did I have to dress in lingerie to do that? I didn't get it.

Nicole Scherzinger

I didn't grow up with a musical family. My mom had a lot of CDs in the house, particularly Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, ABBA, all the sort of like diva icons. She's Swedish, so she loves pop music.

Nina Nesbitt