Amy [Winehouse] changed pop music forever, I remember knowing there was hope, and feeling not alone because of her. She lived jazz, she lived the blues.

Well my music was different in high school; I was singing about love—you know, things I don't care about anymore.

When you make music or write or create, it's really your job to have mind-blowing, irresponsible, condomless sex with whatever idea it is you're writing about at the time.

"No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious & charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful."

"Music is energy. A mood, atmosphere. Feeling."

I realized that I wanted to get better in every way. As a person, as a friend, as a songwriter, as a musician, as an artist, record producer, you name it.

First and foremost, I consider myself a songwriter.

And if I get it right everybody will be singing along, yeah And when they see you on the street they’ll say, 'Hey, ain’t you the girl in that song?

It can get a little costly if you try and leave it until then to write songs. But you're writing all the time. You're collecting songs. I've had songs that have been collected over a two-year period for my next record.

I make no apologies for being a huge fan of radio songs.

I think it took me a while to convince Nashville that what I do is genuine and my heart's in the right place, and I love country music.

I think there's just so many people in the world that don't feel understood, and when you hear a song and you go, 'Oh, that song understands me,' that's an amazing feeling. I get it when I listen to the radio... That's a beautiful part of music.

Music for me has always been something that is directly connected to my heart.

A lot of people may not know how competitive it is to play classical music, because when you think about it, the music that you're playing is music that's been here for years. And all you're trying to do is improve upon it when you play.

In our music, in our everyday life, there are so many negative things. Why not have something positive and stamp it with blackness?

Will.i.am and I performed at Wango Tango. That's when my daughter said that I had made it in music.

I really wanted to just be a musician. I didn't want to be anything else, but I was funny and all that.

Lil Wayne is a music god!!!!

I love music. I've always wanted to do music, even when I started out as a comedian.

"If you think my music is sentimental and self-absorbed, I agree with you."

"I enjoy selling my music. I don't enjoy selling myself."

"I have a studio in a barn at home - we rehearse there, we film there and we record there. It's fun to hang out with my guys and see what comes out next."

"If you feel like singing along, don't."

"Music is my living. I enjoy selling my music."