Dionne Warwick: My songs are like kids

Dionne Warwick thinks of her songs as "her babies".

The 71-year-old star is famed for recording tracks by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, among them the classic Walk On By. She can't choose which of the songs means the most to her as they are all so special for different reasons.

"No, they're like my babies," she replied, when asked if she has a favourite. "My album, Now, has new versions of many of them and I've never got tired of them. How do you argue with success?"

Whitney Houston was Dionne's cousin and the elder singer was devastated when Whitney passed away aged 48 earlier this year. Although she is still trying to come to terms with her loss, Dionne takes solace from the kind words she has received from Whitney's friends.

"I think the best thing has been the regard that everybody has shown for how I'm going and how the rest of the family's doing. Those are the bright things," she told Q magazine.

Dionne has previously insisted the best way to cope with Whitney's passing was to think about her legendary career.

"There are no promises in this life, no certainties. I was taught at a very early age to accept the transition of loved ones from this world into the next," she said. "And then there was Whitney... I don't mourn her. I prefer to celebrate her life."