I'm not one of those artists who refuses to play their hits. I find that ridiculous. Hits are a blessing.

When I'm making my music, I'm writing it, I'm producing it, I'm playing all the instruments, I'm performing. It's my own world where I do what I feel, and nobody tells me anything.

I never sit down to write. When I'm moved, I do it. I just wait for it to come. You just hear it. I can't really describe writing. It's in my head.

I'm just as white as I am black, and I'm just as Russian Jew as I am West Indian.

Don't take it so seriously.

I don't think about the styles. I write whatever comes out and I use whatever kind of instrumentation works for those songs.

Working with Gabby [Sidibe], I realized immediately that she was amazingly talented. I could tell just by the way she'd get into the role.