The thing that's tricky is sometimes the best voices - just because someone hits the big notes and sounds amazing - it doesn't necessarily mean they make the greatest artists.

I've never been fired in my life.

I can sing in front of people. I can go on a TV show, live, and not feel like I'm going to throw up.

Some of the best songs that artists perform year after year are ones they hated.

Good new songs are the backbone of the music industry. There isn't an artist out there who could survive without hit songs.

I have breakups that I can credit to every song. In my twenties, I picked people who would create that dysfunction and drama, so I could draw upon it.

Just because you're a star on television doesn't mean that you can be a music phenomenon or an artist. You have to have the material to back it, and it's all about hit songs. I can name you every "Idol" winner and why they didn't go on to have success - their songs. The ones who have - their songs.