I have to be happy in the here and now because every time you start focusing on your legacy you're really setting yourself up for disappointment.

The Top 40 is geared toward 20 and under, not 20 and up. That's the audience I'm geared to

You can't make everybody love what you do, but you can know how great you feel doing it.

I like the simple 'I love your work' letters. You never get sick of people's appreciation. They think they're troubling you, but it's lovely people associate my songs with certain moments in their lives.

Its a combination of melody and lyrics, not one without the other. Its a confluence of these different elements that makes something powerful.

A 'passing' test doesn't mean 'no problem.' It means no problem *observed*. This time. With these inputs. So far. On my machine.

Black music has increased my enjoyment of what I do. It has increased my range, my ability to reach into myself and accept myself.