What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to, that talks about ideas that are personal but also make that connection to trying to make revolutionary change, and I don't need to change my music to get to a certain audience.

I am a person who always feels like I am not doing the right thing because there's always so many things that need to get done.

I wanted to be part of changing the world. I don't want to just stand by and watch it be however it is.

People give out compliments because it's polite.

Sometimes it takes time to get into what ideas actually mean to you. Even when you're not writing a song, it's like that.

I always write knowing that people will hear it, but also hoping they'll see it. So a lot of times I make lyrical decisions based on what looks better. Also I write based on what I saw for a video. I obsess over lyrics in the hopes that they'll endure in different ways. I'm very precious about it.

I lived in Detroit until I was six. My older sister was living with us, and she listened to the Ohio Players and Stevie Wonder, so I grew up listening to stuff like that.