Growing up in Eugene, Oregon, there was everything from The Notorious B.I.G. to Weezer playing in my car.

I'm really influenced by '90s hip hop. A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul were my heroes growing up.

I've never been one to learn scales and do exercises. Maybe I'm lazy, but I just don't take to that kind of thing. Learning other people's songs is enjoyable, and my fingers tend to go to new places because I'm not playing my music, the stuff that comes naturally to me.

I would sit in my dorm room and write songs. I loved it. I was learning to sing and play guitar. I was becoming a musician. I was the beginner who somehow could write a song.