When you have a relationship with a label, it can really affect the work you're doing and if you feel like they don't believe in you sometimes you go: "maybe I'm not any good at this". Then you get on a label that is excited to have you and you go: "oh, maybe we are ok at this". It gives you a little more confidence and you work a little better.

We want to give kids something to hope for. If one kid says, "Your cd helped get me through this year," that's all it takes.

I need a little criticism while I make a record so that I kind of feel like: okay, I know that I'm doing the best that I can do because someone is actually here challenging it.

In music industry they always want you to write something like the one that was popular. And that's something you kind of have to just - sometimes you just say yes to people, like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure," and then you just write the one you want to write.

Hard to find a better drug than a song you love.

Often people think they know what they want, but what they really want is something that's genuine. So they'll be saying, "Do another one like that," but you liked that one because it's real. So as long as I keep it real and I do something that's real to me, you're going to feel it in the same way.

Don't let anyone make you feel like you're not good enough, smart enough or cool enough. Do your own thing.