They understand what their market is and who they should be selling records to, and most importantly, they know the kind of artist that they want to be, but they have to do it themselves. You don't want a 13-year-old singing some awful song from a musical.

You don't hate the mosquito; you just want it out of your face.

I want people to understand that from the minute Lady Gaga arrived, she created a new set of rules: being different is good; embrace it.

I met someone the other night who's 28 years old, and he hasn't worked a day since he left college because he's pursuing a dream he'll never, ever realize: He thinks he's a great singer. Actually, he's crap.

The artists who endure are the ones who stay focused even after they have reached the top of their profession.

When someone asks, 'Does success make you into a monster?' I always say, 'No, it enables you to be a monster.'

The object of this competition is not to be mean to the losers but to find a winner. The process makes you mean because you get frustrated.