Musiq Soulchild

What happens if the music or alter ego isn't well received? The fact that people are talking about it, I won already.

I don't want to be trending. Instead of pursuing ideas of being more radio-friendly and... commercial, I want to go harder at being more creative.

Even before I got the record deal, I never really used singing to get girls. I always felt weird about that.

I haven't had groupies. I had admirers, but not groupies. But I've always been, you know, courted into the friend zone.

I like to be as positive and as peaceful as possible, but reality says, you know, sometimes you get mad, sometimes you get antsy, sometimes you get aggravated.

I did fine in school. School was cool until I started personally rebelling.

Love is just a word that we've chosen to use to describe something that we can't fully explain. I mean, it's like, as a culture, we've just all agreed on using the term, but I think people get so caught up in the word that they don't allow themselves the privilege to live out what it actually might be.

I think that people have this unrealistic expectation that people are just supposed to love them. I'm sorry to break it you, but ain't nobody supposed to do nothing.

Love is a lifestyle. You have to become a representation of love. You have to become a pro-active contributor to love. I don't think it's something that you just sit back and wait on.

I don't have to prepare any speeches for love. It's something that I engage with on a consistent basis.

I don't believe soul is something you can fake. I'm trying to make my music as real as possible, because I feel this is my form of communicating with the world.

Be true to yourself, stay focused and stay you, take advice from other folks, use what you can, but never mind what is not for you. For the most part, trust yourself and believe in what you are doing.

I like to entertain people according to what they're saying entertains them. As an artist, musician, songwriter and producer, I sit back and hear it, and... if that's what y'all like, I can do that.

I felt that everyone had the same sentiments when it came to love that I did. I felt like if you really cared for somebody, then that was it. It never occurred to me that people could lie about the way they felt about you. I had to learn that the hard way.

Even though I'm really into fashion, I'm into fashion as a means of creative expression. I dress myself according to my personal creative expression... I try to keep it comfortable. I try to keep it simple.

I don't want to just do what people classify as 'neo-soul' 'cause everybody don't listen to neo-soul. I want to make music for everybody. I'm always trying to incorporate new elements into what I do.

The two things I always have to fight for are rest and food... I'm just grateful that I have the energy by the end of the day to do a performance.

No one can make you happy. No one can help you grow in life more than you can. I can love you to death, but I can only go so far. I can inspire and encourage you as much as I can, but when you play an active role to find that self-security and that self-worth, it makes the difference.

Expressing myself is what I love most; not having enough time is what I hate about it... I keep to myself, though, when I am on tour, and focus on the tour.

I do not try to duplicate anyone's success; I am just really inspired by what they have done. I like the fact that The Roots can tour extensively, put out albums, and be so well received; that takes a lot of work. I really admire that, and it's something that I try to attain myself.

My father is my best friend. Just growing up with him inspired me to appreciate music that much more because he appreciates music.

I care about music and money. I'm an artist first.