Quote

I'm really in touch with my fans. Through their emails, letters and stories is how I decide what music I'm going to perform.

You either have fans who stick with you, or they don't. It comes down to making music that people connect with and great fans.

I mean, you go to the internet and you can see all these conversations and arguments that our fans have about our music and that's wonderful to know, that people would take the time to be that involved.

I want to tell stories and make people feel good. That's when music is at its finest.

I just hope that our fans are people who are inspired by music, and just use our music as a background or inspiration for whatever it is they do.

I try to tell a story musically in a song.

I realized that, all along, my theory was right: Make music that you want to hear, and instead of having fans that one day might criticize or abandon you, your fans aren't even fans. They're people with tastes similar to yours. They're friends you haven't met yet.

With my music, I can express myself so much. A lot of the fans can sense that I'm relating to them something that's quite personal.

The whole point of music is being able to share your story. I've been songwriting for a long time, usually while on the road, as a way to get my feelings out.

My inspiration is always what I think my fans want to listen to. I often write about social problems. If I'm not going through it or I haven't gone through it, I want to make sure it touches someone. That's what I base my music on.