I've always had this tremendous and very deep feeling of knowing my purpose, you know? It never dawned on me, it always very much known.

I mean, there's plenty of artists who are making R&B music, but because of their ethnicity, it's considered something else.

Art is based on emotion, but being macho is based on ego; the wall protecting that emotion.

All the best times in music were rebellious. I mean, even like Elvis, people didn't want their daughters paying attention to him. He was considered too sexual!

I think the goal is in general to broaden my fans' perspectives and their horizons. Not to be cliché. But to introduce them to things that they may not have introduced to themselves.

Most people know my music based on the singles, and think of it as scandalously romantic. There's definitely a romantic vibe, but I often sing things that are very direct. I don't beat around the bush much.

I believe dreams represent the purest form of fantasy we unleash through our subconscious. They represent the truest freedom we can experience. Totally unrepressed and totally creative.