One of my favorite authors, John C. Maxwell, came out with this concept of "failing forward." Was there a mistake you might have made in the early years that you think was crucial to your development as an artist?
I could have come very slowly into the industry, maybe sold a few records the first album and kept building up over the years. I could have been on this slow incline, making records and everything. But I got thrown into the mix really quickly. It shows if you can work under pressure or if you can't. I found that when I make a mistake, I need to try to learn from that mistake quickly and never do it again. For example, one time, I thought I didn't need a sound check, that I could just turn up at the performance and do a great job. I was confident in my ability and then the next thing I know, I couldn't hear myself properly. I went, "Why couldn't I get that just right?" When the monitoring is off or whatever is the case, then I'm not hitting the notes correctly. So, I learned if you keep on making the same mistakes, then you are a complete idiot. I learned that you make it once, then learn from that and then never do it again.
You are frequently regarded as a sex symbol. How do you feel about that?
It's not a terrible place to be. You know, I'm very flattered. Back in the day, I was a very overweight kid. Now, I'm thinking, "Wow, everything has turned around." Inside, I feel that same mentality of how the little fat boy kid felt, and now people are saying that they see me as a sex symbol. It's crazy how things have changed [laughing].
Interesting [laughing]. In the days leading up to this interview, I had a lot of people ask me to hand off their phone numbers and the like.
Back in the day, you work so hard to try and make things happen and now things get thrown at you. It's like if people could have given me free clothing, free things back in the day when I really would have appreciated it and it's great. It's only when you get to achieve and get to a certain level that people give you free clothes and free this and free that. It's a very bizarre way in which the world works. It's really flattering to see people enjoying me in that way. I never see myself as being anything but just somebody making music.
Article comments