I think I'm a maker of songs, and songs are like films or a picture: You put them over there, and they have nothing to do with you.

I think of myself as a songwriter, a weaver of story and imagination in a way that a novelist might write a book.

I am someone that follows the news and reads newspapers yet what do you believe and what don't you.

I was like just writing and writing and then I kinda developed my sound. And then, my managers were like, "Okay, we're gonna try to get a deal." And then first it was Interscope, and then it was Atlantic. And then, I ended up signing with Atlantic, but it was like a long process, a really long... it was A LONG PROCESS. I feel like it took me two years to do it.

Well, I don't really concern myself too much with what other people make of my work.

I firmly disbelieve that one has to be a tortured soul to write good music.

I was working with D'Mile - he's amazing! And I don't know, it was like that guitar riff was so crazy to me, and so I think I was frustrated about something that happened earlier and I feel like I'm just a good guy, I don't cut people off, I don't really call people out when they do stuff that they should be called out on, and I'm just always the one being the bigger person. So, that day "Gangster" just came out. That's just how I feel in that day to day life.