I try to shut my brain down as much as possible. And let the melodies flow, if possible.

When I came back to America, I realized that world music is no joke, it really has a lot to it.

After so many years of whispery, DIY vocals, there's this new generation of voices that are really starting to burst through the seams.

It's a little cheeky; growing up in Santa Fe was kind of a weird experience, because it's such a touristy town. So sometimes it feels a little like you're in a town that's just on display. You walk around downtown and all the shops are galleries or high end boutiques, so it can feel like you don't belong there even though you are from there.

It's just not an image I had ever put out about myself - the bedroom synth guy. The whole thing seemed ridiculous.

I tried to go to community college for a while, and it's a funny story. I walked into the English class on the first day, and they told us to write about what we did over the summer. I can't remember exactly, but I think I walked out exactly at that point and went to the office to ask for my money back.

Often when I find myself listening to music, at least 60 to 70% of it is foreign, so I don't understand a word of it. Melody to me will always be a million times more important than words.