One day I'll wake up and I'll have 10 or 12 songs and think, 'Oh that sounds like it could be a record.'
— Bryan Adams
I think a lot of people want to be remembered the way they were, as opposed to the way they are now.
I've never been enamoured by the idea of being a celebrity.
I moonlight as a singer.
Music became my focus. At 13, I was jamming with my mates. At 15, I was playing clubs.
I remember being in Hollywood at the age of 16 and marveling at the stars. The idea of being part of it never entered my mind. It was too far-fetched.
Social media is a giant distraction to the ultimate aim, which is honing your craft as a songwriter. There are people who are exceptional at it, however, and if you can do both things, then that's fantastic, but if you are a writer, the time is better spent on a clever lyric than a clever tweet.
I'm a complete and utter busker.
I watch everybody every night, from sitting down to being on their feet at the end, and I feel a sense of reinvention, of caring, presenting these songs in their purest form.
I feel quite sad for the young musicians coming up because they may never get to pay their rent properly. It doesn't matter what the genre; nowadays, it's so much harder than it ever was.
I never took a grant or borrowed a penny from anybody. It was partially because I didn't really know how to do that, but secondly, my pride never would have allowed me to. In the beginning it was about doing it the right way, on the merits of the music.
Music is just such... it's not therapy, but it's a release, it's a joy, it's a pleasure. And it's a job - which is weird, because I don't think of it as a job.
I always knew I'd be in music in some sort of capacity. I didn't know if I'd be successful at it, but I knew I'd be doing something in it. Maybe get a job in a record store. Maybe even play in a band. I never got into this to be a star.
I'm amazed every time I come back to Vancouver at how much it's changed. You go away for a month and there's three more skyscrapers.
I think I'm better behind the camera than I am in front.
I always just wanted to be the singer or the bass player in the band. I'd love to have a band, where I was obviously the singer, but where it wasn't me, it wasn't my name.
I don't like long tours. I find it much easier to go out for a short spurt every month.
I need to be able to rock out.
A songwriter writes songs all the time, whereas just writing a song can be done by anyone, anytime.
Focus on your music and not technology.
I like the idea of helping people help people.
I've always wanted to push myself and move with the tide. That's just how I am and it's worked for me.
To be a celebrity, I couldn't think of anything more cringe-worthy.
I pack every minute I can with something to do.
Trying to manage diabetes is hard because if you don't, there are consequences you'll have to deal with later in life.
I only write music for myself, I don't try and appeal to anyone else.
I think all my videos suck.
I do 100 shows a year, but I do it in fits and starts, as opposed to going on a long run.
My father's a character.
I grew up with British rock.
I'm not afraid of being thought of as someone who is associated with film music. Why not? If it's a good song, what does it matter?
If your music is great, you will have fans, not because you have spent time chatting on social media.
I never had a long-term plan.
I've only ever trusted my gut on everything. I don't trust my head, I don't trust my heart, I trust my gut.
I like to be able to present myself in two or three different ways because I've never really wanted to rest on my laurels and be something that people expected.
There's not an instruction manual on how to deal with success, so you just have to rely on having great friends and a good team.
I'd been round the world a hundred times and had started to forget where I'd been. I knew I'd been there: it said it on the tour map. I could remember the name of the city but I couldn't remember what it was like - it was a massive blur.
There's a saying, 'It's easy to write songs, but very difficult to write great songs.' I'm going through that right now.
I got in trouble with the police, and that was a rude awakening. That was it. I'd seen the bottom of the pit, and it was time to scrape myself out of it.
