Dionne Warwick Talks Faith, Family And Nearly 60 Years In The Music Industry

In the midst of a busy year, Warwick joined “Closer Look” host Rose Scott in studio to talk about her faith, her family’s influence and to share her reflections on her career. Below are some highlights of their conversation:

On her new Christmas album:

“Christmas happens to be my favorite time of the year. It is. I’d say this so often, I feel like a broken record myself, but I do feel, I wish, that Christmas could be every single day of the year. It’s the time of year when people become human. They actually smile. They say hello to you. They even carry a package. They open a door. I mean, it is just, I guess, the real celebration of the birth of Christ kind of permeates and gives people another kind of reason for being human. And if that’s the reason, then Christmas should be every single day.”

On her journey:

“I’m still on it. Yeah, I really am. It’s been a magnificent ride. It really is. It’s had its bumps, which I’m thrilled about, too, because they have kind of substantiated who I am, and what I am about. And those are the bumps that I needed to have in my life… And I have excelled in knowing about those bumps — the things that I think everybody has to go through is part of life — the hills and valleys. And if you’re able to come out of that valley and climb that hill again, I think that’s the most important part of that valley.”

On her activism:

“These are things that I said to my peers before they finally understood what I was doing. We are losing — within our industry — some very important people. We’re losing dancers. We’re losing hairdressers. We’re losing makeup people. We’re losing cameramen. We’re losing our industry. And don’t you want to do something to stop that? And it’s so easy. It really is.”

On her passion for music:

“You know, this is something that is a gift. And I know, it’s a gift from God. And I believe in everything that has been written and said through Him here. I’ve heard it from many ministers. The one that I listened to most was my grandpa. He was a fire and brimstone preacher. However, he believed the Bible. He taught the Bible. And I, as a child, learned the Bible. I also learned something that I try to let everybody in the world know. I sing a song called “What the World Needs Is Love.” I was taught God is love it. That’s what we need more of.“

“Closer Look with Rose Scott” is produced by Candace Wheeler and Grace Walker. Joy Barge is a contributing producer.