There’s always a bittersweet kind of thing, but I feel like everything had to work out the way it is. Everything that had to happen, happened.
Doo-wop is special music to me because it’s so straightforward and melody-driven and captures emotions.
It’s about you putting in the work, practicing every day, and hopefully one day you write the song the whole world wants to get down to. And one day you’re going to be sitting next to Ellen DeGeneres talking about how you broke records and rocked the Super Bowl!
I’ve learned people are watching, so don’t do nothing stupid.
Becoming famous was never what I wanted to do. There’s a lot of things that come with fame – it’s what people in the limelight have to do.
As proud as I am of Doo-Wops I feel like, ‘Oh, man. People haven’t seen nothing. They don’t even know what I’m about to do,’ and that’s what I can’t wait to show the world.
What I’m hoping is that every album I’m going to do will give my audience something different, and that they’ll grow as I do.
You have to be who you are, and hopefully they dig it.
A grown man should always carry cash, right? I don’t know who told me, but someone told me that a long time ago, and the biggest turnoff is when a guy doesn’t have cash on him.
There are no record companies in Waikiki.
My mother is a singer, my sisters all sing, my uncles are incredible singers and guitar players, so it’s just kind of been like my habitat.
I could sing you a thousand and one doo-wop songs. I love the simplicity in that music. It’s not super-poetic, it’s just from the heart.
Writing for other artists helped me figure out that magic you have to capture to make everyone connect with a song.
I always say I wanna work with Alicia Keys. I’m in awe of her.
I really wish I knew what I was doing because I’d be writing hit songs every minute.
I feel it’s my job to continue being a student of music if I want to continue being an artist and a producer of other artists. You have to keep filling your mind with other music. You have to be ahead of the curve.
I’m the Nickelodeon version of DangerMouse.
I’m a big fan of songs like Joe Cocker’s ‘You Are So Beautiful’ and Eric Clapton’s ‘Wonderful Tonight’ – songs that go straight to the point.
I’ve definitely seen bands before they made money kind of change their thing on the next tour, and I prefer it when it’s a little more raw.
I love artists like Prince, who hold on to that element of mystery.