My music and lyrics became an extension of this Indian philosophy.

It's kind of weird. You can have hits, but it's hard to sustain a career. I went through that period where I didn't have a lot of hits, although people were still buying the records.

I didn't develop or build synths. I had my technicians modify them for my live stage performances.

I was the first artist, I think, to ever do an all-keyboard album. There were things that resembled it, like Stevie Wonder. A lot of his stuff was on keyboards, but he used brass and he used other things as well. I was the first artist, also, to use drum machines. I was really the one who kind of started that whole thing.

I've always loved writing, and the impulse for me is storytelling. I don't sit down and think: 'What political message can I sell?' I love the creativity of it.

You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

I don't mind putting my heart out there for the audience, and for the country music fans... to be vulnerable with them... that's my job as an artist.

I have two younger sisters, and it was a family full of creativity.