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I picked and co-wrote the songs that if I was a guy who would be spending my hard-earned money buying an album I would want to hear.

I put together amazing records, whether that's finding the beat or putting the right hook on there, and picking the right artists on the record. That's me being an A&R. And I'm making sure that they give me their best.

I base my track-listing and what songs I pick by what my fans expect from me and what they want and what I think they want.

When I do an album I try to find a producer that's excited about something that they want me to sing, and I check with the record company to find out what they think they can sell - which is their No. 1 priority.

Once I'd chosen the songs, it seemed like it would just be a question then of recording them. But it's a case of trying to re-invent the songs; taking them in different directions.

If part of the purpose of making an album is to get some radio play, then you might as well think about that. But that's not really how we picked the songs.

The biggest difference between me and other artists out there is that they'll put anything out to sell a record or sell a ticket.

It's so hard to pick a 'single.' I always want it to be whatever my favorite tune is, but often the record company and the person whose job it is to take it to radio have different ideas.

There are a lot of producers who basically have their sound, and if the artist works with them, you almost know what the record's going to sound like before it comes out.