My father taught me that one of the most important abilities in life is to be able to take the pain and persevere, and for years this lesson had served me well.

I tend to avoid writing music about initial reactions to situations, like frustration or anger. I’d rather wait till I go through the problem, and write about the learning that took place.

In the English language, I can love my car, or my house, or my daughter, or traveling, but in Greek and how I grew up, love is described with different words.

I have been fortunate to have a career that has allowed me to travel the world and come in contact with many different cultures and people.

Of all the forces that are exerted on us over our lifetime, at least for me, love has been the most powerful of all.

My father once said, ‘If the whole world wants to go left and you feel like going right, go right. You don’t have to follow. You don’t have to make a big deal about which way you’re going. Just go. It’s very easy.’

You need a mind open to possibility, conditioned to love the creative spirit we all have inside ourselves.