People get caught up in recreating something, and that actually hurts the genre of music because there's nothing new.
I started off with classical music, and I got into jazz when I was about 14 years old. And I've been playing jazz ever since.
However, very recently I have come to an understanding that complex music is not necessarily pleasant.
It's amazing how fast generations lose sight of other generations. One of the first things the young composers who come to work with me say is that they want to write music people will like, instead of gaining their credentials by being rejected by the audience.
I still enjoy doing music. I'm not going to stop doing it, and doing it the way that I feel it should be done.
There's a great enthusiasm for good country music all over the world.
I have a curiosity that compels me to find ways to make music that are fresh and new.
This is fun; consuming our music shouldn't be a responsibility like eating your spinach or something.
When I was 3 years old, I was playing banjo on a country music TV show.
I write songs very quickly, so the 20 minutes of joy I get out of writing a song doesn't compare to the two months of joy I get engaging with the people who like my music.
In terms of influence, my style icons have been a mixture of Julie Andrews and Olivia Newton-John. When I was little I used to watch 'Grease,' 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Sound of Music' a lot. If you put all those things together you do kind of get my outfits. A slightly tarty nanny in a second-hand outfit. That is pretty much what I wear.
Somebody will be able to crack ebook files in the same way that people cracked music files a decade ago. An author could have worked for three years on his book, have someone buy it for their Kindle for £6.99 and then see it shared with everyone in the world for free.
In America, music is more tightly categorized.
Music is the way I understand how to communicate now, the way that I've learned how to communicate... but it will eventually have to go beyond that. You see, I've realised that music is not what keeps people involved - it's the attitude behind the music.
Lately I've been listening to some classical music again, some jazz.
Our music has always been instant reactive and I guess taking our time to absorb things and say what you really want to say could be much more offensive than anything we've ever done.
It was hard to work and work and work and not get your music played on the radio.
The big news already broke. The file-sharing and all that stuff, it's a done deal. And I think figuring out how to make that a fair exchange for the people that make music is still an issue.
Any club is important. All Latin music movements are born in clubs. There is no better research than going to a club. If your music works, it will bounce up.
There's an evolution from, today we tell computers to do stuff for us, to where computers can actually do stuff for us. For example, if I go and pick up my kids, it would be good for my car to be aware that my kids have entered the car and change the music to something that's appropriate for them.
My favourite way of getting ready for a red carpet event is to turn the hair and makeup time into a bit of a pre-party. I use the same artists all of the time, so we know each other so well - so it's a 'hanging with friends' session. Music, lots of laughing, and food - because you must eat before the event.
I got into music when I was a little boy. My dad was always into jazz. I got my education from him. The first time I listened to jazz, he gave me a Thelonious Monk record. It was so different from anything I had ever heard. It took me a while to understand it, and I liked that. I liked the fact that it wasn't immediately palatable.
Mine is not a traditional music, but it comes from a tradition.
I listen to all those kinds of music, from classic soul to hip-hop to Brazilian music to, you know, jazz to indie to alternative. So whatever. I listen to all if it. Classic rock and classic pop, all of that.
I will never sign to a major record label again. If, by some mega fluke, a record of mine looked like it might break big, I'd try and do it via an indie or somehow license it. I'm not having my music owned by those corporate bastards again.
I never want to predict the relationship between music and advertising.
I'm really attracted to girls who are passionate about music because that's what I'm obsessed with.
The best decision I ever made, period, was to get into the music business.
And so for a couple of years my life was divided between my music and my school books.
I have a ballet barre in my gym. I turn the music up so loud that the walls are pulsating, and I go for it for an hour.
Jazz is letting everybody do his or her thing with the music.
It is easy to write unthinking music.
Music should probably provide answers in terms of lyrical content, and giving people a sense of togetherness and oneness, as opposed to being alone in their thoughts and dilemmas or regrets or happiness or whatever.
I've always wanted to be a DJ so I could play the music I love for other people. That feeling hasn't changed, but my sets are always evolving. In terms of tailoring to a specific crowd, certainly I do play differently depending on the situation. It's a different feel, for example, in a small club versus a festival.
There are people hell-bent on the idea that we're a Christian band in disguise, and that we have some secret message. We have no spiritual affiliation with this music. It's simply about life experience.
'Just Can't Let You Go' is a song about passion. It's when you have such a strong passion and love for someone or something that your heart just can't let it go. Whether it's a special boy, girl, or that feeling you get when performing on stage or playing a sport. For me, my passion is music. I just can't let it go!
