Throughout my career I've never worried about who will be singing my song on the screen.

I was about 17 when I began my career.

Mentoring is an interesting job.

My father, Aparesh Lahiri, was a musician too, and at a very young age, I was geared up for a career in music.

Since the end of the 1970s, something has gone profoundly wrong in America. Inequality has soared. Educational progress slowed. Incarceration rates quintupled. Family breakdown accelerated. Median household income stagnated.

I sort of came from a big family - eight kids - and I guess I always, more than most people, really revel in privacy and solitude sometimes.

What I loved about 'Strictly' as a viewer and contestant was that it was warm, family entertainment. So it is a shame for the show when controversy surrounds it. That is not what we like about 'Strictly.'

Seeing family is what brings me peace. If I'm not traveling home on my day off, I love going to Central Park to be around trees and throw a Frisbee with my boyfriend.