My dad liked a lot of Motown, but I didn't listen to it until my teenage years.
I've always gravitated towards the beats, obviously. And when I was growing up, I always loved funk music or even - dare I say it - disco.
Before hip-hop existed, we were listening to soul songs from the '70s. I grew up with Motown, Elton John, and the Beatles. To me, that's good music.
Once I came along, I started giving more smooth melodies, more songs for the ladies, a new vibe, and Philly wasn't used to all that.
There's a melody in everything. And once you find the melody, then you connect immediately with the heart. Because sometimes English or Spanish, Swahili or any language gets in the way. But nothing penetrates the heart faster than the melody.
Even if I make a gospel album, my gospel songs are going to get you dancing and crunk.
I like rap. I like anything with soul. I like anything you can feel, anything that makes you think that the artist had to make that song, or they were going to go crazy.
I want to tap into different styles. Something definitely mature, sultry, sensual, easy listening that everyone can enjoy. Every one of every race and everyone that likes different styles.
Well, I've always said that country music has always shared a very unique relationship with gospel music - the hooting and hollering, you know, always in abundance.
My father loved music. He loved Motown and R&B, and my mother loved Journey and Fleetwood Mac, so they were always listening to it and playing it.
Listening to 'Songs in the Key of Life' always puts me in a good mood.
My music is homegrown from the garden of New Orleans. Music is everything to me short of breathing. Music also has a role to lift you up - not to be escapist but to take you out of misery.
Music that comes from the heart - that's the music that moves me.
I tell you, gospel music is very uplifting. It's great. It's just a lot of fun to write, and it's wonderful for the heart, soul, mind, and spirit. It's just great.
Music is meant to be a beautiful thing.
R&B touches your heart.
James Blake, Jai Paul, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Sohn, Kwabs, Sampha, Lil Silva, and Brandy, always. They all have soul. Deep soul.
I was always a closet blues player.
I love my slow jams.
Gospel music always relaxes me and calms my nerves.
I love to perform, to give glory to God with my own brand of funky gospel music. I think it's my mission to show people that God, that Jesus, can be cool.
I'm into song-writing; I'm into melodies that break your heart a little bit. That's the thing that got me into music; that's what I look for in music for the most part.
When I'm in my normal mood, music drips from my fingers.
Just take the music, the goodness, because it's the very best, and it's the part I give most willingly.
The one thing about Essex is that there's a lot of people there that are into their soul music. And I'm talking '80s and '70s soul music, that was a big part of my childhood, there was Al Green, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, people like that.
