“I stopped telling people what lyrics meant to them when I saw them tattoo it on them, because it clearly meant much more to them than it ever did to me.”

Kids have tools to do what I’m doing.

I have always loved Ben Folds, he’s like an idol of mine, a hero of mine.

When I started, I felt that there was this incredible amount of doubt of my ability as a producer.

I think it’s really easy to be the altruistic hero of your own narrative and story.

We were a very crunchy, sort of hippie-dippy family.

I don’t really have any interest in recording at places that are institutionalized for recording.

All my favorite songs ever are love songs. Probably topped by ‘The Luckiest’ by Ben Folds.

Imagine if somebody was like, ‘Who’s the next Timothee Chalamet?’ It’s like, he’s currently Timothee Chalamet.

It’s important to recognize when a song remains important to you.

I was on a TV show called ‘Glee.’ I mean, I was on the real tail end of that show; it was already way past its peak. But still, for me aged 17 landing something like that was a big deal.

I’m not a control freak in that like I boss everybody around, but like a control freak and like, I like knowing exactly what I get to do that day and having a say.

I don’t analyze songs because I think it will make me a better songwriter, I just do it out of sheer curiosity.

I’ve learned a lot from my mom and my dad. I learn a lot every time I watch Billie perform.

A lot of the time, in pop music especially, there’s reverb. And the reason is that reverb makes vocals sound better 99% of the time. It makes the notes ring out.

Definitely for me and my sister, wherever we are the most comfortable is where the best music’s going to be made.

I always wanted to be on tour or making albums.

Lofty designs must close in like effects.

Truth, however bitter, can be accepted, and woven into a design for living.

They are a very decent generous lot of people out here and they don’t expect you to listen. It’s the secret of social ease in this country. They talk entirely for their own pleasure. Nothing they say is designed to be heard.

Almost all crime is due to the repressed desire for aesthetic expression.

For me, the idea of a creation is not conceivable without invoking the necessity of design. One cannot be exposed to the law and order of the universe without concluding that there must be design and purpose behind it all.

Meanwhile the Adversary of God and man, Satan with thoughts inflamed of highest design, Puts on swift wings, and towards the gates of hell Explores his solitary flight.

The truth of the matter is we have become more interested in designer jeans and break dancing than we are in obligations and responsibilities.

If I was ever going to become a good designer, I had to leave America. My own culture was inhibiting me. Too much style in America is tacky. It’s looked down upon to be too stylish. Europeans, however, appreciate style.