People are going to write and say things you don't like. They're going to take things out of context. What are you going to do? You can't let it destroy your life. That's their problem. They're going to go on and not be respected for what they do. Just worry about what you do. You have to make up your mind. You also have to be prepared for fallout. You have to accept the industry you're in.
Writing is very much a playground - an artistic playground. It's the most fun thing I do.
It's really such a personal journey, making a record, but even more so writing the songs.
I think that all people that get to a certain level of their celebrity are brands. I accept that. I don't value it in any personal way. I value it as an element of my work. I'm more pragmatic in that sense. I do get very rattled if I don't get enough normalcy in my life. I like solitude. I can't even write music if I'm not isolated.
When I'm writing music, I'm not acting it out - it's all me. I feel that my responsibility is to be truthful about myself, first and foremost. I'm not going to sing things I don't believe in no matter who is benefitting from it.
