When it's your chance to step up to the plate, just hit it out of the park, and everybody will forget about everything that came before.

I've worked with jazz artists, country artists, classical artists, pop artists. I never wanted there to be categories, because when I was a kid there weren't.

Back in college, when I got kicked out of school, I was still in school, I'd just written the song that got me my record deal. If I hadn't gotten kicked out of school I wouldn't be where I am now. Three months after that, I got my record deal and the rest is history.

Lionel Richie told me forget about the critics. But if you come back with hit after hit, you don't have to worry about anything.

I started as a writer and when I sent my demos out everyone wanted to know who was singing and if that person wanted a record deal.

Everything I have now is so real, so vivid.

The hardest thing to do in this business is to still be around. When music changes, when labels' resources have dried up, it becomes harder and harder to continue to make a living at this.