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I do struggle with how much and in which way, as an artist or celebrity, that you voice your political views.

I truly believe that people like myself, who are in a position of entertainers in the limelight, should keep their mouth shut on politics.

Life and people are complex. A writer as an artist doesn't have the personality of a politician. We don't see the world that simply.

I don't think it's an artist's responsibility to be political all the time. I think your first responsibility as an artist is to make music that people will listen to and enjoy. However, I think that when you are able to say something that is moving and put it in a great song, then that is even better.

I think that most actors don't have very good opinions of themselves.

Artists like Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga have more sway over popular minds than a politician.

I do write songs with a political dimension to them sometimes, but I'm always slightly appalled by it when I do.

One of the interesting things here is that the people who should be shaping the future are politicians. But the political framework itself is so dead and closed that people look to other sources, like artists, because art and music allow people a certain freedom.

I believe there is little to gain by exchanging opinions with other artists concerning either the ideology of art or technical methods.

I think there's a huge lack of political artists in America, and I think it really speaks to our consumeristic culture and how people are driven to be financially successful here. It's such a shame that we don't have people who are more inspired than that.