By growing up in Alabama, I had a melting pot of the whole pie: R&B, gospel, country.

I am a country boy and proud of it.

Greatness comes from fear. Fear can either shut us down and we go home, or we fight through it.

Forget about surviving 40 years in the music business. Just surviving 27 years of Nicole Richie has been a struggle-and-a-half, I want to tell you. I stand here as a survivor, I want you to know, for all the parents out there.

I find myself going out on the road to get my confidence back, because I lose it at home.

Growing up with country, R&B, gospel, and classical music from my grandmother and pop, Tuskegee was the perfect melting pot for my influences as a writer.

I always like to challenge myself. I never want to be put into a box.