R&B is the one thing that has influenced every kind of music. Every artist that there is, from those that are sung the most to Adele - you know, she was so influenced by so many R&B artists and soul music - it's clear in her writing that that's where it comes from.
Babyface
It's like spicy food - sometimes you have to tone it down so more people can enjoy it.
Love hurts the most when you really love. Sometimes you think you're in love, and then you find out that you're not because you're not really hurting. But when it's real love, then it's gonna hurt. It's supposed to hurt because it's real.
I think it's not really difficult to write about love. We've been saying the same thing over and over for so many years. But it depends on how honest it is and how good you make it feel. You can say 'I love you' in a trillion ways, and it can always sound different or feel different.
The reality is, some people don't want you to change or go anywhere different.
The one thing about The Weeknd is that he's gone between the world of trap music and pop music and blended them together, so it makes it interesting in that way. That's what I like about him.
I was always falling in love at a very young age - kindergarten is when I can remember. There was always a crush. And when I was in sixth grade, I started picking up guitar, so I started wanting to write about it and sing about it.
You can find a diamond in the rough a lot of times.
The blessing of being able to write music and let music speak for itself is you let the melodies and let the lyrics and the groove talk to people instead of me talking to people.
The most exciting thing for all of us is movies and movie stars.
Some people can sing, and they can sing sing, but Brandy can not only sing sing, but she has a voice and a tone that is unlike any other.
There's artists that I'm working with on a new label of mine. Foxy Nova and Supa Nova.
Unfortunately, a lot of executives aren't like producers, and can't hear the diamond in the rough.
There are people that bring artists to me to look at it and it's a question of whether I like their music and their look and if I think there's something they have that makes them different and commercial.
The whole process of this record was an education for me as a musician.
I like people, and I like listening to them because something that'll happen out of that conversation could be the title or the subject of the song.
But a lot of the old fans are listening to a lot of the younger music. So I gotta keep moving forward, and they'll move forward too.
Michael Jackson, he used to chase relevancy all the time. He always wanted to go a little bigger and better and keep that audience. There was never a point where Michael was going to feel like, 'I've got to play the Nokia, and that's all I'm going to pull in is the Nokia.' That would not have been acceptable.
I think that whenever there's a good script we try to make that happen, but it's all based off of a good story, a good script, but I don't believe you should do it just because it's African-American.
The Internet is a whole new world opening up.
When I was in top 40 bands, I always had to learn new material and new styles.
I still write the same way and have the same perspective.
I don't claim to be a great vocalist, but I know how to work my voice with its limitations. My talent is I know how to work what I have. It might not always be a picture-perfect performance, but what we look for is the emotion.
I was always too afraid to slow dance. But I do remember watching people slow dance. I was the guy on the sidelines. At the school dance, I was usually in the band, playing.
I enjoy music that is commercial. I think that in order for music to be heard in a lot of different situations, you have to always consider that. Commercial music, for the most part, is popular music, and you always have to keep that in mind. It's not so much financial as making sure it gets the shot and is heard on the radio.
The whole idea is whatever you do, have fun with it; try to make sure that it's quality and something you don't mind putting your name on.
Commercial music, for the most part, is popular music and you always have to keep that in mind.
I would say that I've been lucky. Being blessed and not really ever giving up.
I usually prepare a track and then I work with the artist when it's time to do the vocals.
If my life depended on being a social-media person in terms of talking myself up, I probably would be in trouble because - not that I wouldn't be able to step up to it - but I wouldn't love it. I wouldn't want to be that person; that wouldn't be my natural thing.
I could easily not be the person that people know.
It might be a huge hit, it might not; but you learn something doing it.
The first song I wrote was called 'Here I Go Falling In Love' I wrote it in the sixth grade.
I kind of just stumbled into producing. It was more that I was a writer, and the only way you were going to get your songs done was to do them yourself.
I don't necessarily want people to know all my intimate feelings about Tracey.
Adele ultimately did well in such a large way because she affects everybody, and the way that she writes seems to be popular music, not because of her skin color but because she writes great music, and it's popular in that way.
I think that in order for music to be heard in a lot of different situations you have to always consider that.
I enjoy music that is commercial.
I don't go to that many Broadway shows, so I can't really say anything.
I'm continuing to produce and will start a new record soon, as well.
It's about finding great artists and being part of their careers.
Lyrics can be important, but ultimately, what pulls people in on a song is melody and the tracks and the way music feels.
