The thought of me not having to clock in for a job anymore is something that I can't really put into words, aside from 'amazing' and 'awesome.' 
My whole life is a vacation. 
I want people to see an honesty within me. I'm not trying to be the next Sam Cooke or Otis Redding. 
I've always had a great work ethic, even when I was washing dishes. 
My mom was very religious. She might have let me buy records, but I assumed that she wouldn't. 
My mom is a very religious woman. So when I began recording music, I was afraid she wouldn't accept it. But when I played her a song, she loved it. 
Fame and all that type of stuff is inevitable, but I'm very content having a good band with no negativity, and everyone is on the same page. 
I don't think I'd be able to flat-out write a pop song and make it satisfying to me. I'm ready to make a consistent sound in whatever way I can. 
I love the pioneers like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, but when I write music, it comes out in my own way. 
I'm totally open to exploring different types of music. I just have to always remember to be true to who I am. 
The first time I shared my music and style with my mom, she said, 'Boy, you look like you came right out of the 1950s.' 
One time, when I was about eight, these guys started throwing water balloons at me. That really did ruin my summer. 
If I went crazy and tried to make pop music, my band wouldn't record it! I love them too much to do that. 
People have this perception of soul music of somebody shouting. 
I've just always been around great songwriters. To me, they were the standard. 
Dance really built my confidence on stage. I'm still a shy person. But I have a lot more confidence than I did when I started. 
I knew I had a gift. I wanted the world to hear my music, and I wanted it to be my career, but I didn't know how to go about it. 