I feel the reasons my songs might seem dark is because of how I viewed the situations I was in and it was just something I always felt like documenting.

I approach every show from the same fundamental perspective: this is a conversation, and my job is to make people leave the show feeling like they've seen something singular. It's not about smashing someone over the head from the jump-off.

I write songs on a course of time that's comfortable for me. I would probably never write a song from start to finish in the course of a day, hell probably not even a week. My mind is always going to change and my emotional state will also change on a daily basis.

I never looked at being a musician any different than waking up one day and wanting to be an accountant or a lawyer.

What we understand to be profoundness, or importance, it changes. It should change. It should be this moment where you cannot believe that equalled grandness or importance.

My favorite records are not easy - they're not records that reveal everything to you the first time out.

My love of R&B and hip-hop has influenced my life not even as a musician, but generally in terms of growing up and looking to America as an inspiration.