Everything about singing, I learned from busking. Everything I learned about songwriting, I learned from busking. Busking, you learn people, you learn about reading people. You learn about reading the atmosphere of the street. If you stand still in any city long enough, you see everyone pass you by. It's almost like you get to know personality types, just by watching people walk past. You get a sense for things.

I busked from the age of 13 until I was 18.

I've always felt that if I ever got cynical, I would have to stop making music because I'd just be poisoning the air.

A song is like a saddle: you ride it for a while, and if it's the right kind of song you can sing it for the rest of your life.

There's this unspoken thing that you have to wear a tux and some kind of nice dress. There are all these ethical rules, but I'm sure if you came to the Oscars in ripped jeans and a t-shirt they wouldn't throw you out. You would just look like a fool.

Keeping the pen out of your hand as much as possible is the best way to write a song, in my estimation. But the pen must come in to tighten it up.

My dad was quiet, angry, shut down. So my thing is: I express everything that's there. I want to get it all out.