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" My mother, my grandmother, my uncles would play Ethiopian artists like Aster Aweke and Mulatu Astatke all the time in the house. "

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" 'Kiss Land' is the story after 'Trilogy'; it's pretty much the second chapter of my life. The narrative takes place after my first flight; it's very foreign, very Asian-inspired. When people ask me, 'Why Japan?' I simply tell them it's the furthest I've ever been from home. It really is a different planet. "

" If you ever see young artists, and they're not sounding good, they sound good. They're good singers. They wouldn't be where they are if they didn't sound good. It's their nerves. Any time you see your favorite artist, and he's or she's screwing up or not hitting those notes, it's not because she can't hit it or she can't sing; he or she is scared. "

" 'Thursday' is a conceptual album. Whatever that situation was, I spent the whole album focusing on that situation. "

" 'House of Balloons' was special because I had no deadlines, and nobody knew me, so there were no expectations. Spent a year making it perfect. Every song had at least, like, 7 different versions to them before picking the right one. "

" It's almost schizophrenic who I portray in my music. "

" I just kept touring and touring until it became second nature to go onstage, perform, and sing. "

" I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself. "

" I want to be remembered as iconic and different. "

" I wish I could make music about politics. I feel like it's such an art and a talent that I admire tremendously, but when I step into the studio, I step out of the real world, and it's therapeutic. "

" I sang a lot of low stuff on songs like 'Secrets' and 'Rockin',' almost like Toni Braxton. On 'Secrets,' I'm a different person. "

" 'Trilogy' was more of a claustrophobic body of work. Before it was released, I hadn't left my city for 21 years, and I had never been on a plane, not once. I spent my entire life on one setting; that's probably why pieces of the album feel like one long track, because that's what my life felt like. It felt like one long song. "

" In the beginning, I was very insecure. I hated how I looked in pictures. "

" For me, bomber jackets are smart, but they are also street and have a lot of attitude. "

" Going to a therapist is not something you do when you're growing up as a street kid in Toronto. "

" Nothing is stopping me from doing what I love to do. "

" For the chorus of 'Secrets,' we used The Romantics' 'Talking in Your Sleep' and 'Pale Shelter' by Tears for Fears. It's like hip-hop: just grab it. "

" When I was born, that was the music my mother was listening to. Michael Jackson is a third parent to me. "

" I just love Bowie. I think he's the ultimate inventor. "

" I'm all about surprises. If you watch a horror movie, and it's called 'Kiss Land,' it's probably going to be the most terrifying thing you've ever seen in your life. "

" A chorus is not easy. "

" I always use Michael as, first and foremost, a vocal inspiration, and 'Off the Wall' was definitely the one that made me feel like I could sing. "

" I feel like I'm the kind of guy that would have kids before getting married. The first thing would be kids. "

" The vibe on 'Starboy' comes from that hip-hop culture of braggadocio, from Wu-Tang and 50 Cent, the kind of music I listened to as a kid. "

" I didn't have a father figure in the house. "

" The whole 'enigmatic artist' thing, I just ran with it. "

" When people meet me, they say that I'm really kind - contrary to a lot of my music. "

" When I was making the early stuff, I never expected it to be so big. I was in my own kind of bubble. I never wanted to tour; I just wanted to create music and make a diary I could put out into the world. And sometimes, I became the characters. "

" Alternative R&B is in my soul. It's not going anywhere. "

" At one point, I didn't care. Now I want as many people to hear my music as possible. "

" My inspiration is R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, and Prince - for the vocals, anyway. "

Michael Jackson