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Sometimes when I write songs, I don't know what they're about, and it just suddenly comes to me.

My music does say a lot about me and what I went through. All the songs are about things I have gone through and what I am thinking. I wrote about my family, friends and boys, of course, and about life.

When you write songs, you can't really point out the exact thing you're inspired by. It's more a state or a mood or an atmosphere that you're trying to put into words.

I like to write songs about what's happening, what I see around me and what I hear.

I'm usually really drawn to a song, and I know it would be good to cover if it sounds like something that I could write, or I wished I could write. Sometimes a writer just sounds like they're in your head, and that is really cool for me.

I usually don't write songs by people calling me and saying, 'Write a song about this.' Usually I'm just going with what I want to write, so you never know.

I like to write songs about what's happening, what I see around me and what I hear. Everyday life. Someone may be talking to me and I may take it from that.

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.

When I write a tune - and it's been like this for many years - I always hear in the back of my head some sort of vague, orchestrated, fully fleshed-out big-band version of the song with other parts going on.

Sometimes a song indicates that it wants to be about a certain thing. And then if you write it, you find that it is about something that you've done.