Question: what inspired whitney houston to become a singer

title: Whitney Houston
text: At the age of 11 , Houston started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark , where she also learned to play the piano . Her first solo performance in the church was `` Guide Me , O Thou Great Jehovah '' . When Houston was a teenager , she attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy , a Catholic girls ' high school in Caldwell , New Jersey , where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford , whom she described as the `` sister she never had '' . While Houston was still in school , her mother continued to teach her how to sing . Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan , Gladys Knight , and Roberta Flack , most of whom would have an influence on her as a singer and performer . 

Answer: answer: At the age of 11, Whitney Houston started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark , where she also learned to play the piano . She was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of whom would have an influence on her as a singer and performer.