It really just puts me right in that moment of the struggle that these people have been through, and I think the story of Aida represents a lot.

I've done that I was touring a couple of years ago with R. Kelly and the Lillith Fair, I would do the late night underground gigs as well because it's always around those times that there was a hot song, either on the radio or in the clubs, it would just be simultaneous.

Oh, it was amazing. The energy from the people, the warmth of the audience was great and it really was a really, really good show.

I just bought a bunch of CDs and downloaded them into my I-pod. I bought the Seal record, a Swahili drum album, and there's some original African drums that I listen to before the show.

I had this instinct and I just knew it. It was a very strange thing and as soon as I finished recording it, we were all in the studio saying we have something really special here.