I've always been a singer-songwriter - it started off with me and the guitar, just writing songs, they were very simple. When I got in the studio it took me probably three years to get where I am now - being open to experimenting with new songs, being comfortable with where the songs were headed. I'm happy with where they are because they feel very genuine and authentically who I am.

I've always played music because it just feels right and have been grateful for everything I have and the shows that I play. Even when I was playing coffee shops; it's how its always been.

At Pinetop I just studied music, and there was no pressure to look any certain way, and so being able to sing and play guitar was enough. But when I came out to L.A., there's a whole image that you put out there and people really feed off of that because of social media platforms. And sometimes someone will see a picture of me before they hear one of my songs. It's really important to have it all figured out so that you can portray what you want people to see.

The more transparent you are about, you know, the not so happy times, or the happy times, or the things that you're embarrassed or ashamed of or proud of, it's all in Kicker, and all in my music. I'm just inspired by life in general and what it's bringing to me.

The more that I travel, the more people that I meet, the more experiences that are really a testament to the kind of person that I am, and you hear about my experiences and my growth through my music. I think that that is really relatable.

It's important to keep your creative muscle strong and working. My most inspiring method though is just sitting down with an acoustic guitar and coming up with melodies. It's what I've been doing nice I was nine years old.

L.A. is a kind of a landing place for some people. People are just in and out all the time. People are there for a short time until they get what they need and then they go somewhere else.