There was an enormous amount of pressure when my first album took off, and I struggled with the speed of everything and the exhaustion from the constant touring.

People think I'm really melancholy and romantic and all whispery. I'm not at all. I'm very direct.

I'm happy. I feel good about music.

I remember early on, for instance, having to play wedding gigs, that I hated playing the music. Now I don't have to play music that I don't like. I only get to do what I enjoy, so that's pretty lucky.

For a young artist to really make it and make money is a lot more difficult these days.

I don't go about playing music differently. It changes my sleeping schedule and my drinking habits, that's what I like to say.

I genuinely don't feel that anything that's been written or said about me has overshadowed my music, and that's the most important thing as far as I'm concerned.