I always was intrigued with writing my own stuff, and I was always really bad at learning other people's stuff.

I was born into a very religious family with no TVs and a very strict Episcopal Christian religion. Music was my outlet and more of my therapy than anything, but yeah, it was the one thing in life that I've had, art and music.

The only thing I knew how to do was draw and play music.

I found it more pleasurable to write something, sing a melody over it. At a very young age, I kind of honed my writing skills, I guess.

I work, to this day, from morning to night, seven days a week. I'm always working two, three years ahead of my own timeline; I'm a workaholic.

Music has been more, you know, the only thing I've ever known.

I grew up in a really bad situation; my father left when I was young - you know, an abusive situation. So the minute I put my fingers on a guitar and closed my eyes and just played, it literally was like a drug. It took me into a totally different world, and I just pulled from emotions and experiences that I was going through.