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" I grew up a hip-hop kid doing mix-tapes. "

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" I didn't really experience any hardship like people tend to think of when they hear the words 'Detroit, Michigan.' I think Big Sean is a much better ambassador for the city. "

" When I started picking out music for myself, I was a hip-hop kid. DMX, The Roots, Outkast, people like that. "

" That's why I make mixtapes. That's why I work with Don Cannon; that's why i work with Big Sean. Even though I don't rap, I got love and acceptance in that community, and that's something that I really take seriously and hold close to my heart. "

" It's easier to make art for a society at a certain point in time with an understanding of what's going on. "

" If anyone has listened to my stuff over the years, they know I tend not to do the same thing twice. "

" I've only had success when I'm not trying to. It's that weird thing where if you're trying to impress a girl, you're not going to impress her. But if you aren't trying to impress a girl, you'll probably impress her because you're not trying. "

" I had an initial wave of popularity that, in time, crashed, and I slowly became less popular and less successful, and I had to figure out who I was without those things. "

" My favorite Duke player ever is Steve Wojciechowski. He called me one day congratulating me on my success thus far, and I was like,'I appreciate it, but man, please don't congratulate me. I know when you guys start the season, you're not just trying to be 10-10 or ACC champions, you're trying to win it all.' "

" I wanted to break into producing, so I would peddle my tracks and beats to labels. I always heard the same thing: They liked the music, but it didn't fit any of the artists on their roster. "

" I want to headline Bonnaroo. I just want to do it more than anything in the world. "

" I like regular girls. "

" I realized I could do music for the sake of music, not the other things that come with it. That was a major shift. "

" When I went to college, I made my first mixtape, and Sean gave me three verses for it. That was a big reason anyone ever listened to my music. I definitely wouldn't be talking to you now if it wasn't for Big Sean. "

" I was really lucky to grow up in an extremely diverse neighborhood. "

" I'm scared to give gratitude to the people that, if I hadn't heard their stuff, I wouldn't be able to make music. "

" I thought, 'Oh that's what happens. You put a song out and everyone likes it.' Well, then a funny thing happened: I started putting more songs out, and none of them did the same thing. "

" A lot of people have trouble putting into words what my music is, and it's because of where I grew up. "

" My earliest musical memory is of my older sister playing me Nirvana's 'Nevermind' on headphones in the back of the car on a road trip. "

" I grew up in a city called Southfield, and it's one of the most diverse cities in the country. Just from the different socio-economic statuses and racial and ethnic groups I was around, I was around all different types of music from the beginning. "

" I'm kind of like a rapper trapped in a singer's body. "

" Some of my early musical memories are attached to grunge. "

" I remember with my first album, I was so scared of messing it up, of blowing the opportunity, that I blew it. "

" How can a song all about struggling with the afterglow of fame thrust someone into fame? How can a lyric like, 'I'm just a singer who already blew his shot,' give a singer another shot? I don't know... but it's funny. "

" I feel super, super grateful that I get to make music. "

" Avicii's been a supporter of my music for years, and we've been writing songs together for a long time. "

" I'm a big fan of country music. "

" I try to tell the truth in my lyrics; write good melodies and make hard beats. So, basically, I just combine hip-hop with melody. That's how I classify myself. "

" I wanted to see if I could be happy without a lot of stuff. And what I found out was, yeah, I really could. "

" I feel like my best music is still ahead of me, and I can't wait for everyone to hear it. "

" My focus is to try to appreciate the present moment more and more and more. "