“Songwriting presents an interesting moral dilemma for me: I can either write to please other people or I can write to please myself. I know when I’m pandering and I know when I’m being honest. For me, the entire creative process is about being true to myself.”

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“I learned, early on, not to argue with the muse. Invariably, she’s right and I’m wrong. When I start questioning what’s being relayed to me by the Universe, when I start messing with the form or the substance, I get into trouble. It’s humbling to recognize that something greater than myself is at work here. I’ve learned to be patient and to accept the gift exactly as it’s given---no exchanges, no returns, no credits toward future transactions. For me, songwriting is in the realm of the mystical, and I want to honor the process---always.”

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“Some of today’s singers might do well to remember that they’re supposed to serve the song. I’ve observed that this is not always the case. Sometimes, lovely melodies are sacrificed to over-the-top theatricality and wild vocal gymnastics. Good to recall that less can be more.”

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“A while ago, someone asked me what I would do if I had to choose between singing and songwriting. ‘Songwriting,’ I heard myself say, without missing a beat. I surprised myself, since I’d been a singer my entire life, since age 3, yet, there I was, acknowledging that I think of myself, first and foremost, as a songwriter. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to sing. But, for me, singing is interpretive; it’s about taste and style and showmanship. Songwriting? That’s a much bigger deal. That’s about my essence, the core of my being; it’s about revealing who I am and what I stand for. The risks are greater and the stakes are higher. One is temporal; the other’s for keeps.”