When I look at myself, I'd like not to have hair on the top of the ceiling..

I've never been fired in my life..

I have breakups that I can credit to every song. In my twenties, I picked people who would create that dysfunction and drama, so I could draw upon it..

I don't go to record stores to look at my albums, but it's always a thrill to see them..

The thing that's tricky is sometimes the best voices - just because someone hits the big notes and sounds amazing - it doesn't necessarily mean they ….

Yeah... I was a singer as a kid. I had a lot of stage fright, and what's happened with "Idol," it has got me past so much of that..

I think Bruno Mars is a great example of a great voice and classic songwriting with a twist that makes it contemporary. I think he's done a great job….

I was a pop-music junkie. My parents were into Frank Sinatra and Doris Day. They weren't too excited when I had Aretha or the Stones pumping..

I've never in my life bought a big piece of jewelry - like, 'I'm gonna get myself a big piece of jewelry!' Songwriters' lives are unstable and up and….

I felt like I got more comfortable on "Idol" when I just started being myself and not trying to be what I thought I had to be..

I looked a little pasty. But hey, at least I didn't wet myself!.

Listen to the Bee Gees and you can learn to be a great writer..

You need to understand that a skilled professional songwriter can accelerate your success as an already talented musician. These people are writing e….

Songwriters tell the truth..

Look at someone like Ke$ha. I wouldn't say she's got the most rangy, incredible voice, but she's got a thing. She stands for something, and people ar….

I can make the argument that people who don't have the biggest ranges but have very unique voices, even if they may be pitchy at times... with the ri….

I wanted a child, and there was no way I could get pregnant under the stress of 18-hour work days and live TV. When you're somebody who's used to mak….

A great song should make you stop everything that you're doing. You should be so into it that you just can't imagine doing anything else for that mom….

There's a lot of craft that goes into achieving a hit song - at the beginning of your career, you're usually more inspiration than craft, and you get….

I'm a native New Yorker, so I'm edgier; I kind of tell it like it is..

Good new songs are the backbone of the music industry. There isn't an artist out there who could survive without hit songs..