By the age of 17, for me, we had got an recording contract, and, boom, I was gone.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
At 17, I signed a recording contract right out of high school, so I started touring and traveling the world. I sort of missed out on the college experience.
When I was 13, I told my dad I needed to record myself because I sounded awesome, even though I didn't. By 18, I was a lot better. Then I got a publishing deal, so I was writing songs for other people professionally.
I think we were probably playing live for about 12 months before we got a recording deal.
I never sought out a record deal. It caught me with my pants down. I was just a musician doing my thing, I didn't even send my records out.
I had this contract to write songs for people when I was about 18. I don't think any of them were taken up; I was a complete failure at it! But I've kept doing it, writing little songs for myself.
The first record I made when I was 17. Labels merged and plans didn't work out, but plans never work out as planned. But I never stopped making music. I never had a backup plan. I never thought, 'Maybe I should just write, or maybe I should...' I just kept going.
I was 17, still in school, and my manager saw me in school, and then we hooked up, and after that, I went straight into making music.
I worked a long time to get good at what I'm doing, and nobody handed me a recording contract because of who my father is.
Well, I had a record deal since I was 18, and it got me where I am.
Since I was 17, I had been just making records and promoting them.