Jeffrey Osborne Quotes

After this many years of being a lead singer in a touring rock band, I've had my fair share of fun. But those days are long behind me.

Nobody heard records of you playing whatever the melody was on those low strings. It worked out good, you know, about 25 or 26 million records later. I guess it worked out alright.

My dad, Billy Ray, he had a huge hit in the '90s with 'Achy Breaky Heart.' And, you know, as a kid I always said I wanted to be just like my dad. And it's crazy - just be careful what you wish for because I had the same thing he had, which was a huge hit off his first album.

I'm not heart-broken if I don't have a hit. But I guess a hit would help. It makes the money go up a bit.

When 'And Then What' was made, Jeezy already had a street appeal, but 'And Then What' put him on the national appeal.

I've always wanted to be a recognized singer and just - just so people can hear my music - and thought, you know, look how many people watch 'American Idol.' Why not audition, you know?

People have compared me to Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Eminem, and J. Cole. They bring substance and largely are all good storytellers, and those are two of my biggest strengths. It's dope to be compared to people who have longevity in the game because that's the most important thing for me: I want my name to live forever.

I got started when I was about 15, or 16. My first break through was the Vans song with my group The Pack. That became a worldwide thing.

I want to be known for my music, and that takes time.

Before I realized what was happening, everything blew up. I made 'Animals' when I was in high school, and literally, from that moment, I've been living a different life. I've been touring a lot, traveling a lot, doing great shows. I've been in the studio with my biggest idols.

I came second in 'The Voice of Finland' in 2012 and my career really exploded at home. I had 300 gigs a year.

It was kind of like, my worst crime was that I was a pop star.

I love that my music is connecting with people, but I don't think there'll be a point where I feel like, 'Oh yeah, I'm famous now.'

To find out my song made the top 10 was honestly a dream come true. I think it's something that I've dreamed about, and anyone dreams about, their whole life.

We treated it as another acting job. Some of these other bands had been put together, and it was their dream come true to be in a band, and that wasn't really the case for us. It was the next part of what we were doing.

Musicians should understand that it is not just about creating one hit but to sustain it at the top.

I think, back in the '80s when I was having hits all the time, I took it for granted.

I put a song on Soundcloud, and Annie Mac made it record of the week, and a month later, I signed my record deal.

I could bear being in the charts and being on everyone's car radio 10 times a day. I'm just terrified of... a lot of people I respect have done it with a real little 'ditty' and that was the end of it - that was all they were ever known for.

It's easier to be the art school band than to be the Beatles.

Usually when I make a record, I know what the potential is going to be, but I didn't know that 'Just A Friend' was going to be that big. 'Just A Friend' opened a world up where I never knew the difference between being a pop star and a regular rap star. It was crazy.

We'd been out touring for a couple of years before we signed with Sony and everything.

I knew I'd made it when I was sitting on the bus into Rochdale and there was an old man listening to one of my songs. It was fantastic.

I have sung some great songs, and fortunately, all have gone to become hits.

I think the fact that Gang Starr kept getting more and more successful was the reason we never thought about our age.