Into It: Dianne Reeves

The jazz singer talks about what she's reading, watching, and listening to – and why she can't get enough of YouTube when she's not cooking.

... Reading:

Lately, I've found myself reading a lot of biographies and autobiographies. I read the book on Marian Anderson [Marian Anderson: A Singer's Journey, by Allan Keiler]. She broke the color barrier in a lot of ways. It inspires me more than anything, because it was through something that she loved and absolutely devoted her life to. She made changes and made an awareness of not only who she was, but who African-Americans at that time were as a people. Through her music and her excellence, she could not be denied – not even by Eleanor Roosevelt, who came to her aid later on. She ended up singing in front of the Lincoln Memorial. It's a story of a life as a great opera singer when people didn't think opera was something that African-Americans could do or should pursue.

... Watching:

Favorite movie of all time? I love The Color Purple, I think I know every line in the film.

... Listening to:

I do have an iPod. I've been going back and listening to music from Brazil. I've just come across this one record that I can't get enough of that came out in the late 1960s. It's a Milton Nascimento record called "Lô Borges – Clube da Esquina." I listen to it now, and it sounds like the music of right now. Fortunately for me, they put it on iTunes. I've discovered it and I'm devouring it.

• Dianne Reeves's new album, 'When You Know,' is released Tuesday. Visit www.diannereeves.com