With ten albums and countless singles under your belt you are undoubtedly a very hard worker. “Two Hands” is a testament to this fact, and with that, do you have any advice to those who need that extra push and motivation to work hard and do their best during this challenging time?
The world will give you exactly what you give it. I think of the old saying “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”. The best response to that is “it because it’s getting better care”. Hard work is mandatory if you want to succeed. Nothing is free and nothing is given without some kind of work. If I were to give advice I would simply tell people that there is always someone who will work harder than you and because of that they will reap the rewards. If you want it bad enough then you have to give it everything you’ve got. You have to figure out what you want then you start working every minute towards your goal. If it was easy everyone would do it!
How have your roots and upbringing influenced your sound and musical style?
My music reflects my life experiences. The choice of music I listen to is usually made by my ability to connect with the artist performing it. If I respect an artist off the stage, I love their music even more. When I meet artists that are not what they appear to be on stage it makes it very hard for me to like their music anymore. As entertainers we have to be very honest with our listeners and being able to do that comes from our upbringings. People that are taught respect early on usually have better “luck” in life.
Why did you choose to release a track like “Two Hands” at this moment in time? How do you feel it is relevant to the world we live in today?
I wrote that song the second night I was in the studio. I was by myself eating dinner and I was very inspired by how the recording session was going. The news was on and it was all about the problems we are seeing in our world today. To me it is a direct result of people not wanting to work anymore. Hard work used to be a standard thing but now it seems to be hard to find. I wrote that song as a simple testament to those of us who work hard no matter what. We aren’t looking for someone to give us something for free. We just want the chance to earn our way.
What is one of the most important lessons you have learned during your lengthy and accomplished career in music?
Persistence. I’ve
Found that the longer I work hard and stay focused, the more things happen in a positive way. I never want to wonder what it would have been like if I didn’t quit. I will never quit and I will give it my all no matter what. I’ve learned that you have to constantly stop and smell the coffee but you have to always keep in the back of your mind that the coffee could dry up any minute.
I always try to recognize small successes as I know they are all steps towards achieving my major
goals.
Can you explain the process of creating the concept for the song and music video? Did you have a particular inspiration for the song?
All of my songs come from a simple idea. Once I know what the message of the song is it becomes very easy to write the song. The idea is the hard part for me. The inspiration could come from anywhere. I am always listening
for a phrase or an action. I never know where the next song will come from. Once I have the song I can start thinking about what the video will be like or even if I choose to make a video.
“I don’t know what the word quit means, it’s a word I will never use” is such an impactful lyric. Why was it important to include? What do you hope fans take away from sentiments such as this one that are sprinkled throughout “Two Hands”?
I may have covered some of this above. Again it’s simply about staying committed. That lyric is a basic honest feeling I have deep inside of me. It doesn’t matter what happens to me, I will not quit. It doesn’t even matter if I reach all of my goals. I won’t ever take for granted how beautiful it is to
be able to earn my way thru life.
I hope listeners will relate to this and find support in knowing that we are all in this together.