I love artists like Prince, who hold on to that element of mystery.

You pick up some fans and a handful of haters along the way.

I just write songs that I strongly believe in and that are coming from inside. There's no tricks. It's honesty with big melodies.

You have to envision your life, and then go backwards.

My father moved to Hawaii from Brooklyn and my mother came there as a child from the Philippines. They met at a show where my dad was playing percussion. My mom was a hula dancer.

Writing for other artists helped me figure out that magic you have to capture to make everyone connect with a song.

Don't you love it that Prince doesn't use Twitter? Don't you think he's somewhere on a unicorn?