Tons of people inspire my music, and now when I do an interview, I'm scared to say who they are.

I'll read on Twitter, 'Do you still do music?' Music is all I do, all day.

Honestly, I don't go to clubs very often.

When you're a writer, your song has to resonate with the person you're writing for in order for them to want to sing it. But if you're an artist, you can sing whatever you want.

Avicii's been a supporter of my music for years, and we've been writing songs together for a long time.

There was a time when being loaded and loved and popular really mattered a lot to me. I'd say that when I was less popular, I learned to be happy without those things.

I always wanted everyone to love me, probably because I didn't love myself enough. But now I realize that when you're an artist, you're making the music that's in your head and in your heart, and not for any other reason.

It's not the job of the art to accommodate me and make me more money, make me more famous and get me more girls.

I think - for a period of time, I did think art was there to serve me, but it took me a minute to reset.

I had an initial wave of popularity that, in time, crashed, and I slowly became less popular and less successful, and I had to figure out who I was without those things.

I think that's what makes my music different from other artists in my lane is that I write every word that's on my album, and every word comes from a real experience or a real feeling that I've either experienced or felt. And I'm very particular about that, and I take a lot of pride in it, so you know if I say something on a song, I mean it.

My favorite television show is 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.'

I was trying to maintain a facade of infallibility, which is exhausting. Like, I used to wear tons of makeup because I had bad skin. I couldn't go out in public without makeup on.

I have a very wide spectrum of stuff that I grew up listening to.

Some of my early musical memories are attached to grunge.

I came to realize that if I was going to succeed in the music industry, I was going to have to learn how to perform my songs myself.

I consider myself a lyrics guy.

It's important to me that my songs actually make sense. So often, I turn on the radio, and I have no idea what the people are singing about. It may sound good, but when you listen, they're just saying words that rhyme. It's another song about nothing.

I think of the pop music that I've made in the past and hear on the radio as candy bars. And I was really good at making candy bars.

I wanted to see if I could be happy without a lot of stuff. And what I found out was, yeah, I really could.

I remember with my first album, I was so scared of messing it up, of blowing the opportunity, that I blew it.

A lot of people have trouble putting into words what my music is, and it's because of where I grew up.

Once you've stared death in the face, every day is a good day.

Climate change is not just about carbon dioxide levels and melting polar ice caps. It is about our public health and protecting our Earth for future generations.

Despite its challenges, globalization has led to one of the most peaceful and productive times in world history.

Immigration is not about visa numbers or building a fence. It is about reclaiming our roots as a nation of immigrants and a refuge for those who have been cast aside.

I've visited Lincoln Park Zoo more times than I can count because I believe the more the public learns about our animals, plants and environment, the better equipped we are to play a leading role in protecting our planet.

The real cost of corruption in government, whether it is local, state, or federal, is a loss of the public trust.

I am committed to working towards a more transparent, accountable, and ethical federal government worthy of the public's trust.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

One of the cornerstones of our democracy is the peaceful transition of power.

Whether I'm reading a national publication or one of my local Chicago newspapers, I don't need to turn too many pages before I stumble upon another scandal. Not only do ethics violations deteriorate the public trust, but they also disrupt and undermine legitimate debate and policy.

We can't allow ourselves to descend down the rabbit hole of unbridled partisanship for partisan sake.

During my time in Washington, I have become increasingly frustrated by the power held by the gun lobby.

I come from a state where four governors have gone to jail since I've been alive. Two of my last four predecessors in this seat went to jail or are going to jail.

One hundred and fifty years after Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, equality for many Americans remains elusive.

The U.S. Constitution guarantees women across this country, including my daughters, the right to choose for themselves when and how to start their families. Yet, more than forty years after Roe v. Wade, women's reproductive rights remain in jeopardy.

Growing up during the Cold War, I remember the seemingly imminent threat of nuclear war. In primary school we were taught to 'duck-and-cover' for protection. But even as children hiding under wooden desks, we recognized the inadequacies of this strategy.

There was a time not too long ago when American seniors were too often forced to go without food, medicine, and quality healthcare. But thanks to transformative programs like Social Security, most seniors in this country are provided the opportunity to live with the stability and peace of mind they have earned and deserve.

The problem in D.C. is that everything is on paper, and it's theoretical.

As the father of two daughters, the ongoing struggle for women's equality is very personal for me. That's why it has been an honor during my time in Congress to support women's rights by advocating for reproductive rights, equal pay, access to paid maternity leave and quality child care.

Our Founding Fathers drafted the Bill of Rights to ensure that We the People could determine how best to protect our communities.

Forty-two thousand people is an attractive target for people who want to hurt us. And a ballpark that's about 6 feet, at one point, from the street is as big a target as any we can imagine.

One of the things we have to understand is that federal transportation dollars require a local match. If that money isn't there, that money goes to another state.

When they talk about my job being important, I say, 'The important jobs are the ones that you'd notice if you left for a week.'

What America really needs is a long-term bill that makes significant investments in our transportation infrastructure and reforms the highway trust fund to ensure it remains solvent for years to come. This will require bold ideas and a bipartisan effort.

Passionately defending one's principles is crucial. Representing your district is fundamental. But refusing to entertain the common ground - with no other cost but giving the other guy a political 'win' - is a disservice.

We've seen it again and again. From civil rights to women's rights to marriage rights, this country has reinvented itself in the quest to make real the transcendent values that Lincoln proclaimed in his historic address - that all men are created equal in a nation conceived in liberty.

As the largest contributor to the United Nations and funder of international family planning, the U.S. is in a unique position to continue to lead the global agenda and place reproductive health at its core.

If the U.S. fails to set the rules for global trade, then other countries with records of environmental and labor abuses, like China, will step in to fill the void.