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"What inspired your album?\n\n \"Nature. I think nature is a key part of why this album exists. One of my favorite songs on there, 'Simple Life,' says it all, and I think it sets up the album perfectly. Let's put down technology, listen to some good music, and enjoy nature and the world.\"\n\nAmerican Idol gave you a huge platform. How did that prep you as an artist?\n\n \"It prepared me for life's stresses and the music industry. I really gained some confidence on that show. It's probably the best boot camp for life if you're going to be a musician because you have to perform in front of an audience, J.Lo and the judges, and the camera. It's a very tough thing.\"\n\nWas there an American Idol judge that you really connected with?\n\n \"Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson\u2014Randy on more the musicianship, and Steven on more the personality. It was very easy to talk to them after the show. I was enamored by J.Lo, so I was too nervous to talk to her, but Steven and Randy were chill dudes.\"\n\nDo you have a favorite song on the album?\n\n \"'Ghosts' is very meaningful to me; it speaks to me because I feel like I'm a kid just growing up. I'm not afraid of ghosts anymore! My favorite song to listen to would have to be 'Stuck in London' because I like a little comedy here and there, and I think that's probably the funniest one.\"\n\nHow was it to record with Haley Reinhart?\n\n \"Easy and fun. There's never any stress involved. It was kind of a spontaneous session, I hit her up and I said, 'Hey, I did 'Hit the Road Jack.' I played the bass and tried singing it myself, but I wanted her to sing it. She knows how to improvise and have fun, so it's always a good time.\"\n\nYou play so many different instruments. How did you learn so many?\n\n \"I always played a little bit of piano; I've played by ear and taken some piano lessons. I had to play recorder in first grade, and I thought it kind of looked like a clarinet, so I tried that. My piano teacher had a bass lying around, and I picked it up and I loved it, so that's where my love of bass came from. There are others that I picked up along the way, like the electric guitar. There was a Nirvana book lying around and I tried to learn 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' so that's how I basically learned guitar.\"\n\nWhat music do you listen to? Who are some of your favorite artists?\n\n \"My favorite artists would definitely be Queen, Tenacious D, Blink 182, and ACDC. I think Bruno Mars is very innovative and knows how to make a catchy melody and change up a song's arrangement. 'Call Me Maybe' has been stuck in my head. The Gotye song 'Somebody That I Used to Know', as overplayed as it is, is genius.\"\n\nWhat do you have planned for the summer?\n\n \"I was thinking of just taking my car, my little Grand Marquis, and travelling the country with a trailer with all my instruments.\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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