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“I'm not looking to be a gay poster child. If you're gay, and I inspire you, I don't want to put that down. But I'm not looking to be your gay savior.”

“My thing with New York was that it felt so insular. When I went to L.A., everybody I knew was a cool, amazing musician. In New York, they'd be hunkered down trying to form a band. But in L.A., guys in bands were also playing with other artists, touring with other artists, and collaborating with other artists.”

“Songwriting is what I am trying to stay good at and get better at.”

“When I first got into the major label system, they were like, 'Hey, you're great - now write with a million people so we can get songs.' That was something I hadn't done before, and the songwriters I was working with had worked on some massive numbers - like 'True Colours.' One of the guys wrote 'Livin On A Prayer.'”

“I like to make broader strokes with politics in my work.”

“I would wear sunglasses all the time if it wasn't looked down upon in certain situations. I always thought I'd be someone who wore sunglasses like Roy Orbison.”

“I write too much to ever keep everything just for myself.”

“Trying to launch a career as an artist is like trying to run through a crowd holding hands with five people. It's so difficult.”

“Pop is like a puzzle: to write a perfect pop song, you never know, and there's so much that can happen in a second with a song.”

“I do rock the sunglasses. To a rude point, at times. But I don't care, it's my first defence. I'm shy, so I've gotta have something. I need some protection, man.”

“I have a working-class approach to music.”

“If Hillary Clinton had been president, we'd have had a false sense of security. Trump has brought everything to the light - racism, homophobia. It's one of our darkest points, because we should know better.”

“I appreciate good work no matter where it's coming from.”

“I've written for Rita Ora; I've written for Chiddy Bang - there's been a few.”

“I'm always working my own thing. A few times a week - I try to not go too crazy - I'm working with some other artist. But I'm constantly working my own stuff, and my own stuff seems to come in little bursts.”

“To me, rock and roll is not a perfect science.”

“I feel like how I live my life is my own political statement.”

“I guess I just feel very comfortable with being myself.”

“I just want to feel free. If someone feels inspired by it, then fine.”

“When I see someone great live, what I think is, 'I can't wait to hear the record.'”