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As a songwriter, that's really what you hope for - to make that connection with your audience.

I've always been trying to write songs that hit you in the stomach but ones that make people feel like things will be just fine.

Writing songs is not something I wanted to share with people for a long time. It was precious to me. I didn't want someone to crush it. I waited until I felt strong enough to take the criticism.

I've written songs before, and I don't want to share them with anybody. It's really personal for me, that sort of creative outlet where you put your emotions to paper or put to song. I don't do it that much anymore, but to let someone in on that outlet and to have it susceptible to judgment is scary.

As a songwriter, if you can touch people and make them feel a little less alone in the world, then you've done your job.

I can't make a song for a particular person or demographic. If I love it, I'm gonna do it. I have to perform it for the rest of my life. A song is like a tattoo - you can never get away from it.

It may not be the most popular but there is a place for it. I think about the kind of music I love, acoustic, melodic, and I guess it kind of took a bit of courage on my part to think I could be one of those songwriters.

But I always held my music up and protected it from compromise. So I just do it for my friends. I've written hundreds of songs, and I'm sure I have a few albums worth of songs.

Hit songs are mysterious and slippery beasts; few artists have a lock on them. This means that many people, like me, have become fans of songs rather than fans of artists.