Jacob Whitesides

“It seems obvious to say, but I really admire the creative sides of Steve Jobs.”

“Being able to tour and experience all of the stuff that comes from touring, and then being able to come back to Nashville, it's almost like therapy to be able to get into a session and talk about all of the things that I'm going through. It's so much more real to me.”

“My email is constantly full, and I'm constantly being called, like, 'We need your decision on this.'”

“I have an amazing crew, so it makes life so much easier. It's fun being around a bunch of my BFFs on the road.”

“The control game has just been changed. The artist has a lot more control than the label, which is special. I feel like the fans crave that. I feel like they can tell when it's not genuine.”

“My cat Isabella, she doesn't get along with anyone else. She's kind of like me: like, very anti-social and fierce. So we speak to each other on a spiritual level, and we cuddle every night. So it's pretty serious.”

“I feel like a hit will come whenever it does, but I don't want to sit in a studio trying to figure out the magic formula and mixing spices and trying to come up with the perfect song.”

“My fans go crazy over jaw clenches. They also love hand veins... they're infatuated with hands in general.”

“I'm a Fritos Burrito guy. Me and Taco Bell have a love relationship on Twitter; they follow me. Out of 16 people they follow me, so I'm very loyal to my girlfriend, Taco Bell.”

“I love pop music, but I feel like the genre is overpopulated - there was so much bubblegum for a while, but I feel like Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran are bringing good, real music back to the radio.”

“I appreciate a lot of singer-songwriters that the normal person doesn't, but I feel like everyone thoroughly enjoys an Ed Sheeran show.”

“Playing in those bars where people really don't care about your music really gives you an appreciation for when you get to a concert, and people are singing your original music - it's been a great journey, but I definitely didn't have an interest in music as a kid until I was a teenager.”

“I played at different restaurants with my dad for a good year before I started doing anything on social media. I wanted to hone my craft before I put anything out there.”

“I ended up having my first girlfriend when I was 13, and she was obsessed with Justin Bieber. I remember watching the 'Baby' music video and being so jealous of him. So I posted a cover of 'One Time' on YouTube, and she loved it.”

“Every day, I'm working hard to improve my craft as an artist, my connection with the best fans, and keep pushing my work ethic. All those things make me happy.”

“Every song is personal, but 'Ohio,' on my first EP, was on another level. I really opened up about the lack of relationship I had with my father. We stopped talking about four years ago, and I haven't had a father figure in my life since.”

“I'm afraid of the dark because I picture things; I see things. I'm a freak. I see, like, little demons coming out of the floor and other little things running around. It's scary.”

“Sometimes I think we live in a world where, even when things are good, people always feel unsatisfied with wherever they are, so I think first I just want to enjoy being happy where I am now and not let my ambition take away from being in the moment.”

“I stay up late; I'm like a vampire. I stay up until, like, 6 A.M. and then sleep till 4 P.M. I lay in bed till it's dark, and then I come alive in the night.”

“On a good day, I usually tweet 50 to 100 times.”