I can't see going onstage wearing a long-sleeve shirt in the dead of summer. I work out hard during the day with a trainer who monitors everything I put in my mouth when I'm on tour. When I first got a record deal, you can tell by my early album covers that working out wasn't that much a part of my life.

I'm all right. I'm good. There has been better times, but I'll be okay.

When Obama talks about raising taxes on the rich, he's looking at me.

The thing that I love, especially after sound check, is when I'm in that stadium alone. It's complete silence. I love that.

When I was playing for tips in college, I felt a fire in my soul. I had the same principle of focus that I had learned playing football.

Now I'm a symbol of what to be and how hard to work. I have heads of major labels say, "I wish you could teach our artists how to do it." At one point I was the punching bag of what not to be, and now I'm the model of what to be.

I didn't have any clue as to what true marriage meant. I was so used to committing to one thing - music - and then I had to totally commit to a second thing, marriage. I didn't know how to commit to both of them. It was a scary moment for me.