I think there's a huge parallel that affects my musical taste, and connections that have to do with my ethnic diversity and my musical tastes and the diversity of that. And it's interesting that, growing up on the circuit, it posed such a challenge, not only to me deciding what my identity was amongst my peers, but then on the music side, it was like trying to explain or convince people especially in the music industry that there was a place for what I was trying to do. But at the same time, I think it has a lot to do with timing and even me, like, understanding it.

I think at any point, as an artist, whatever the medium - just having an audience means the world.

I can write hundreds of songs on simple power chords.

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 would say that the most complex style of singing comes from India. Real, classical Indian music produces probably the best technical and natural singers in the world, just because the patterns and the inflection are so complex in how the style moves and what it requires vocally. I think the best classical singers come from India.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side. I start off kind of in love and then I leave love and I'm single.

Historically, black music has influenced other cultures and other genres and created other genres.