“Absolutely, I grew up listening to soul music. People like Stevie, Aretha, Ray Charles, Michael and Prince. My parents' record collection was all I had when I was a little kid. If it wasn't that, it was something else in their collection.”

“All I watch is the Food Network. I took a cheesemaking class a few weeks ago, and I told my family and friends to only get me kitchen stuff on my birthday. I'm into every kind of cookbook and anything by Anthony Bourdain. I'd love to own a restaurant if I could find the right chef.”

“Bono is my inspiration - not only as a rock star but as a humanitarian. We aren't just put on this earth to sell records. Maybe it's because of my upbringing, but I do consider myself a moral guy.”

“Giants versus Jets Super Bowl. I'm telling you, that's all I want to see.”

“I definitely caught a lot of backlash in my situation, not just from students but also from faculty, which was unfortunate, given that I was spending a lot of my time outside school working on a career, which a lot of people didn't really agree with.”

“I don't wanna say I have a temper... but I do! I kind of sulk and sit there when I'm bitter. I won't show you, but you can see it. Probably if you bring me Godiva chocolate, I'll be your friend again!”

“I get insecure about a lot of things. In my line of work, unfortunately, your appearance is important, and I'm always like, 'Am I going to the gym enough this month? Have I been taking care of myself?' I get insecure about things from time to time.”

“I have a hard time waking up. No alarm clock works! It sounds childish, but I seriously have my manager, my mom or a buddy of mine wake me up if I have to be somewhere. It's a serious issue! I've been very late for some serious gigs because of it!”

“I like to smile when its natural. I'm not mad or anything. That's my style.”

“I love a girl that can make me laugh. I am not really a laugh-at-things type of guy and I don't smile and laugh all the time... But if a girl can make me laugh... I'm in love!!!!”

“I remember being, like, 5 years old, and my dad took me to a Yankees-Mets game. My dad had me on his shoulders and taught me one of the most important lessons about sports. He said, 'Jesse, just remember one thing, the Mets suck.'”

“I still bite my nails.”

“I used to have six left feet. Now I only have one and a half left feet.”

“I used to watch every episode of 'Justice League,' I went to all the movies, I had the Superman lunchbox. I was enamored with animation in general and always wanted to somehow be a part of it.”

“I went to a public high school that had a very small graduating class of 156 students. I lived a relatively normal childhood until I turned probably around 16. Things started to take off career-wise.”

“I went to school every day, like everyone else, and I played baseball for my high school team. I was a part of a lot of different activities outside of school.”

“I'd love to direct, I'd love to produce. I'd love to learn all about it, and being around it all the time certainly helps.”

“If you really want it, you need to really work for it.”

“I'm not a phony-friendly guy and I'm usually very quiet and not a big laugher, so some people might take that for rudeness and being mean. If anyone ever got that impression, I apologize. I love all my fans and really appreciate all their support!”

“Kids are pretty brutal.”

“Music is my way of getting away from everything. It means a lot to me.”

“The first record I ever listened to was Elvis Presley, and I remember thinking, 'Man this guy is cool!' The swagger he had really helped my confidence, because he really made me think that a white boy could make music like this.”

“We went to church every Sunday. I do think it's my duty to give back. That's why I'm involved with St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.”

“When I was a kid, I wanted to emulate Mel Blanc, who is arguably one of the most legendary voiceover recording artists of our time. I used to watch all the cartoons where he would voice Daffy, Elmer Fudd and Porky the Pig. I knew one day I wanted to do that.”

“When you're a 'product' for a lot of people, they're only really after one thing, and so it's hard to completely let down your guard.”

“Whenever I have time, I try to get in the studio and write, whether it's for me or other artists or my catalog of music. It's definitely one of my favorite parts of the music industry.”