Leo Sayer Quotes

I always wanted to make an album, but I knew that I didn't want it to be a musical theater album. It's not that I don't love them - I own every musical theater album ever made - but it just didn't seem right for me.

I've had offers to sign a record deal, but the people I've talked to have wanted to package me and have me meet with songwriters who've written stuff for Whitney Houston, that sort of thing. That's not at all my style.

I write the songs and hand it over to the world and see what happens. But the things that I've written for people that have been hits, I don't know that I would have directed them in the right path, but they definitely wound up on the right path.

I think Aaliyah has influenced artists like a Ciara.

I think it would be cool to maybe do something with Ed Sheeran. That would be awesome and interesting. He writes amazing songs, and I could easily hear Backstreet Boys sing 'Shape Of You.'

I would love to do a duet with Gavin Degraw. Or Ed Sheeran.

Someone had an eye on me as I was leaving high school. I had a chance to record demos, but they were kind of wanting to make a pop singer out of me, of the 'X Factor' variety. I didn't feel comfortable with it. I wanted to be a songwriter.

I love Charli XCX, so getting to work with her was really inspiring.

I could make a PartyNextDoor album that's clean, all hits. That's not what I care about doing.

Not yet, but I do wanna work with Leona Lewis. I love her, she's so sweet! I think she's working on her album as well so I'd love to do a nice powerful female duet with her. I think our voices would blend really well. There's a couple of other people I'd love to work with - like Fergie, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys.

When I first started, the very first body of music I made when I got signed to Atlantic were songs with titles like 'Unify' and 'You're Special.' And there's this song that reminds me of Meghan Trainor that I wrote, about a woman's body and not conforming, when I first started in music.

You know One Direction do a lot of up tempo songs, but when they did that Ed Sheeran song 'Little Things,' that was probably their biggest song off their last album, so it shows you that a ballad never goes out of fashion.

I live a normal life. But I'm always thinking about what I'm going to do next, musically. 'Do I need a fresh producer? What was Peter Gabriel doing when he was 32?'

My dream collaboration would probably be Sam Smith.

I really admire David Guetta; he's an unbelievable DJ and I love his style, his music and everything like that. So I look up to him.

Working with Bruno Mars would be really awesome. I'm such a fan of his, and I love that he's a real artist.

I always give RZA that support as far as saying he brought Wu-Tang to the table. It was his philosophy. He picked certain dudes to be part of this group, and he said, 'This is what it's going to be called.'

I don't write songs thinking about formats, where is it going to get played, who am I gonna please, what's the outlet for it.

The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence. And they'll tell you if you ask.

I want to have a record with Beyonce or Lady Gaga. They are both my inspirations. Especially Beyonce.

I'd really like to work with Gwen Stefani and Cee Lo.

With Lady Gaga I really stretched myself as a creative director, and because I was with this artist from before she got signed I was able to really take control of the opportunity and execute as a creative director.

'Roc The Life' is a song I wrote with The Dream, who made 'Umbrella,' 'Single Ladies' and loads more.

I'm a big fan of Beyonce and Rihanna. I've listened to Beyonce all my life, and she's a big influence on me.

I don't have the desire to just keep every record and put it out. That's not what I do. I make records for people; that's why I just continue to be consistent, where a lot of the other top writers, they kind of fell off because they started focusing on their own careers as artists. That's not where my head is at.