I was the boy who liked to sing his own songs at talent shows, and I was suddenly officially uncool.

My school life was very much a wandering experience. I was having trouble in school and I was not making a lot of friends. So coming home and actually improvising on the piano and just coming up with melodies was an escape for me.

I did not practice hours a day for eighteen years to have my success attributed to a myth.

There's no half-singing in the shower, you're either a rock star or an opera diva.

Music is what I always turn to when I'm feeling a certain way. It's my reason for everything.

Every day I lugged my backpack through the halls, waiting for the final bell. Then I'd race home and hole up in my room, playing the drums and the piano, composing music.

I think that my relationship with my fans has been very special from day one. It's been very special in spite of the fact that I don't think I would ever be able to call myself a press darling. I don't think there's ever been a superficial hype machine around me.