I never wanted to be a performer, that was not one of my goals. I wanted to be a musician and that was that.

I didn't want to be treated like a 'star.' I fought it constantly, and I think I was rude.

Fame is always a shock to the system; there's no school to go to, there are no books to read, and when it hits you, it's a surprise. You could be working for 10, 20 years and when it finally hits you, you get knocked down.

I stay glued to my piano and my work. I don't look up. I write, I produce, I do the next project, I do my job. I don't look up, and I try to be kind. I try to be kind to people. That's what I do.

I am a musician. My passion for music has obliterated everything in its path for my entire life. Whenever there was a choice between music and anything else, music won hands down every time. No one person or material thing could ever come close to the feeling I get when the music is right.

Everything you say and do is having an impact on others.

You know, when I did 'American Idol' the three times, I tried to tell these kids you have to tell the story of the lyric.