When I heard We Are the World do a techno version of one of my songs, I didn't know the word techno, but I said, "That percussion is astounding, will you help me do a piece?" Nobody said, "Techno isn't allowed for you."

My two young producers, Fernando Perdomo and Chris Price, had to explain to me that there's a division right now between the two sides. They took three living, breathing percussionists to do the beats on the song "Intensity". We've got all kinds of layers, because I kept saying we didn't get all the beats. If you hear a synth, it's because I put my foot down. But I had to fight for it because they wanted it all totally organic.

I just remember there was one rule: If you've got faults, we expect you to be working on it. And we are here for you. People would welcome each other then. We don't do that anymore. We don't care.

When you're working with vibes the music comes right in. The blend is perfect. So to me it was never a mismatch. It was actually pretty complementary.

I love to work with Julia [Holter] because our voices have a similar timbre, and she's very unique. She finds very avant-garde harmonies that I adore.

Love was really a high priority. You could drive up this road and there'd be open doors. You could actually walk in as a stranger and they'd invite you for a meal.

Unfortunately, I did not feel ready at 27. I felt that that world was too big for me and I might make some total mistakes. I was a little afraid of going on the road. When you're that age, there are so many handsome men around, and for me, love is first. That shallowness had already knocked me really bad, and I didn't need any more of that.