Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Having an open dialogue, in any creative atmosphere, is really important to feeling free to tell the story the best way you can.
I've been blessed to have acting opportunities in movies, television, as well as Broadway, and definitely want to continue to do so.
I'm actually pretty good with computers. I use computers when I'm working on making and producing music, so I do know a thing or two!
I've been known to drop a spoken-word bit into a song from time to time. But not straight-up rap. I don't know that I have that gift.
I like Instagram - it's a good way to keep up with my friends without having to text or call all the time, and I really like Snapchat.
I feel really fortunate to come from a home that was always supportive and stemming from creativity, integrity and building character.
I think you are the best you can be when you feel free, when you feel open. So I think keeping that mentality, keeping positive, is key.
The world of music is changing so dramatically every day, the way people hear music. It's different. It's a new day and requires new thinking.
I see my career as not just music, but as hopefully an entertainer on all mediums, and someone who can have real influence and make great art.
Quality. That's the key. Everything I do, I want it to have that stamp that people like Jay Z, for instance, have on all the things they touch.
It sounds funny, but my biggest fear is that I'm not perfect. I'm a perfectionist, and I get upset when things go wrong or when I don't do well.
I kind of date my musical discovery back to when I was 13 years old, getting my iTunes account and using that as a major tool to discover new music.
Although I really like the people I travel with, family is just different, and having them around at all times is a really nice thing - and a luxury.
I think that this stage in my life is really, for a lot of reasons, pretty incredible. Being a solo artist and trying to take these bold steps on my own.
When I was in school, my former roommate went through hazing. I heard the stories, but I don't think I've seen a movie that captures the stuff that goes on.
I think part of the beauty of being a pop phenomenon is that you're going 1,000 miles per hour, and it's all happening - and that's also the hard part about it.
I know that each and everyone of you have felt, at one point, like you couldn't go on. But then you found hope. There's always a way to find hope. Remember that.
As far as One Direction goes, and Mindless Behavior and all the other bands, I'm all for it, and if there's ever an opportunity to work with them, that'd be great.
I have really musical parents, and my dad was always encouraging, but the desire to get onstage and perform really did come from me. I'd never push my future children.
Having haters is just a part of the business, and the more haters you have, the more people like you - that's how I view it, because I try to see the positive in things.
You know, so often we think we have each step figured out. And then when one thing doesn't go our way, we begin to question, we being to fear what our next step will be.
I really try to be aware of the purpose of each song. There are songs on my record that I want people to have sex to, and songs people can listen to when they're pissed off.
I think the differences between men and women, it's kind of hard to define what those are and the challenges, what they are. I think there are challenging things for everybody.
I trained myself to not get my hopes up, because there were so many times in the room where you'd be like, 'This feels amazing, this is a hit!' And it never saw the light of day.
I thought the popular kids were the cool kids. I got caught up in that, and it was bogus. School is about finding who you are because thats more important than not being yourself.
I made a resolution in 2010 to stop drinking Diet Coke, and I haven't had Diet Coke since then. I think it was the best life change I've ever made, because I drank quite a lot of it.
Being a pastor's kid comes with a lot of pressure and scrutiny. A lot of my dad's sermons were about respect. It was a beautiful way to be taught about love and two people being equal.
My first introduction to pop music was probably the Osmonds, the Jackson 5, the BeeGees... Then the Beatles eventually. My father was pretty specific about what we listened to early on.
The one mentality I've always tried to have is that no matter what stage in your career that you are in as a musician or a performer or a songwriter or whatever, there's always more to learn.
I got to sing with the Boss, Sting, Pink and John Legend and all of those people. It felt like the pinnacle, and then I got the call. I cried, actually and I called my dad, it was really cool.
Taylor Swift is great for a night out as it involves a lot of tequila. With her it’s all about good friends and celebrating friendship, it’s such a positive environment to be a part of. She’s great.
It sounds funny, but my biggest fear is that I'm not perfect. I'm a perfectionist, and I get upset when things go wrong or when I don't do well. I used to be very uptight, but I've learned to loosen up.
As an actor, rejection is a big part of it, and I've had a lot of it. So when there's something that you really want to do, it's so great to have someone to be a part of a team as great as this team is.
I get to wake up every day and create music. And even when it's a tough moment as far as career ups and downs, it's always something you're passionate about, and it's a beautiful way to spend your life.
I had an emotional breakdown since I really had no idea what diabetes was all about. I wondered, 'why me?' Then I asked myself, 'why not me?' and realized that I might be able to help other kids with diabetes.
I have a lot of memos in my phone of songs; I've had dreams about a melody. It's always melody first as far as when stuff like that happens - I find that my melodic sense is my strongest asset as a songwriter.
I'm pretty crazy about the Yankees. When I can't actually watch a game, I TiVo it. I am also a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. I don't tell many people that because I will get made fun on because I'm from New Jersey!
I think a lot of what you do in acting, and for the most part singing and dancing and everything, is trial and error. It's all about just seeing what works, and if it does, to use it, and if not, to throw it away.
I really like scripted dramas. My favorite show of all time would have to be 'Lost': I loved how the writers and producers were able to weave the different storylines together; and the acting in that show was incredible.
Find things you're passionate about, and find others who are as passionate as you are and will focus on giving you an opportunity to shine and to have your moment where you can be in front of others to show what you can do.
As a songwriter, the minute you start having sex, you can totally see the difference in the writing. You become an adult - that's kind of the whole backbone of it, really, your identity as a person and what sex means to you.
I always had a knack for putting the peanut butter on the bread. My brother Kevin knew how to spread the jelly around real good. When we found out Joe could cut off the crusts, well, that's when we knew we had something special.
I grew up here in New York City and New Jersey, performing on Broadway shows, surrounded by some of my closest friends from the LGBT community. My father, a minister from New Jersey, shaped my view that love is love, that we are all equal.
People who are feeling bullied and people who feel like outsiders should talk to their parents and guardians about finding a place with likeminded people where they can feel accepted. That's what I needed, and that's what I found with musical theater.
Growing up, my dad was a pastor, and much like The First Family or people in front of the public eye, we were highly scrutinized as a family within the church and looked at as - well, I guess you would call an example of what that family image should be.
I admire Kings of Leon. I think their records are amazing. Just from hanging out with them, I can say they're good guys. It's cool to see that they get to do what they love. But I think they clearly have an appreciation for where they came from, and it has shaped who they are.
My upbringing was faith-based, but we believed you should love all others as you want to be loved, because everyone should be treated equally. That's helped me have an understanding of people on different journeys and in different walks of life. At the end of the day, we're all the same, because we all want to be loved.
I've gone to normal clubs, straight clubs, and I've gone to gay clubs to party with my friends and fans. There's no difference. I have nothing to prove. I'm very comfortable in my own skin, and I'm thankful to have as many close gay friends as I have, people who have been so supportive in my life and have always been there for me.
My real musical discovery started when I was 10 with Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5, and acts that I connected with because they were young when they were doing it, like me. Then I kind of came into my own a couple of years later; I found new artists that shaped my musical landscape. For instance, Kings of Leon played a big part in that.
I didn't ask to become a role model, but it was thrust upon all of us, regardless of whether you acknowledge it. You have to come to a decision as an adult and say, "I've got to live my life." There's nothing wrong with thinking ahead and being aware of how it might affect somebody - everything from a post to where you have dinner to who you're with. But these aren't things you can let consume your life.