NAMES IN THE NEWS : Anita Baker Fights Stage Fright

NEW YORK — Singer Anita Baker says she battles paralyzing fear every time she goes on stage.

“If I let fear stop me I would never leave my house,” the Grammy winner said Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“I’m afraid to get on a plane, but I don’t let it stop me. . . . Every night I’m paralyzed. I have to have a few minutes of quiet just to get myself together,” Baker said.

Baker’s hits include “Giving Him the Best I’ve Got.” Her new album, “Compositions,” sold more than 1 million copies in its first week.