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" If I can show people how vulnerable and how flawed I am, maybe others will relate. "

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" Rapping was a hobby; when I went to college, there were a ton of dudes rapping. I think that's where I got my rapping chops up. "

" I'm born and raised Long Island. Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Ben Gibbard - melody-driven guys... They shaped me, molded my music. "

" People don't realize I make records eight or nine months before they come out. I'm directing the videos; I have a lot of work to do. I'm very involved in all that stuff creatively. "

" The way Ben Gibbard paints a picture, you feel like, 'I was there that day with him.' You really feel the way he paints pictures and speaks and talks. It's almost like talk-singing. Paul Simon does that very well as well. He's a huge influence of mine. "

" Sometimes I feel drawn to writing about my shortcomings because I'm chock full of them. "

" I was raised on 'TRL' and listened to every genre that sounded good to me, from Sum 41 to Jay Z to Band of Horses to J. Dilla to Deathcab for Cutie to Pharrell. "

" I always want to approach records from where it feels very graspable. You know what the song's about, but it's presented to you in a way that's like, 'I never heard something like this before,' but it doesn't push you away. "

" I grew up on Dilla, Timbaland, Pharrell, all these drums that are super pocketed, so all those influences come out on a song like 'Ungrateful Eyes,' with all the crazy drum swing. "

" If I could be generous and move forward and spread my feelers business-wise and also creatively, that's the best position to put myself in. "

" Originally, 'The Monster' started out as this indie, Florence And The Machine, tribal-y, almost Spanish-esque dance record. "

" People can relate more to being honest about your problems, your insecurities, and the things that you find wrong with yourself. Because that's how we really are. "

" When I want to get inspired, I'll put a Pixar movie on silent and listen to Nas. "

" I wrote 'Monster' and thought that it would solve a lot of my problems, that I'd have money in the bank, but I felt no different. I was still searching for something. "

" Sometimes, people will fight over five, six percent, because if it's a smash record, that can mean a lot of money. I don't really care. "

" I loved everything, but it was Kanye West who really changed everything for me. "

" You grow up listening to Eminem; your parents don't let you listen to it - you gotta sneak into a car to listen to this guy rap. He changed my whole life, my whole perspective on music, so to more or less co-sign something that I've done is the ultimate childhood goal. "

" When you get a song placed with two of the top stars in the world, like Rihanna and Eminem, especially as a new writer, they're gonna take a huge chunk of your publishing. That's just the way the business is. I'm not complaining. "

" My brother is 10 years older than me, so whatever he listened to is what I listened to, and it was all rap. "

" I used to work at a catering hall in Hauppauge. Anybody who works as a server in a catering hall, more power to you, but I wanted to make music. "

" A lot of the album 'The Definition' was made from two things: Pixar movies and J. Dilla. "

" 'Translations Through Speakers' was literally, I'm translating very spottily what my aspirations are. "

" I came to the realization that I'm a child of God, and that's my identity. If this all goes tomorrow, I don't have the proverbial rug under me that can be pulled out. I'm taken care of, and there's someone who loves me. "

" I have a fan base eager for more stuff. That makes me more than happy. I know I have an army behind me. "

" I wanna make music; that's all I wanna do. "

" As far as the U.K. goes, The 1975 is one of my favourite groups in a very long time. I love the sonics. I love everything they do. "

" I don't view any of the hits I've ever written as the climax of my career. They're just minor stepping stones. "

" We're not as happy as our Instagrams and Twitters make us out to be. "

" I'm fascinated by Jesus and pray to him every day. "

" I'm just a product of the '90s, to be honest. "

" You can't really force kids to like music. I'm a firm believer in an organic fan base. "