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I first talked to you a little over a decade ago at Massey Hall and at that time it seemed like the peak. But we’ve seen you grow into something even bigger. Why do you think that happened?

I really don’t understand it, to be honest, Mark. I’m surprised when I step out onstage and see all those people there to hear me sing. I wish I could give you an answer as to why it worked. I don’t know. All I know is that I never changed my approach since before I talked to you at Massey Hall and after that. I write the way I write and I go out every night and try to sing better than the day before and that’s literally all I do.

You can ask the people who’ve known me since I was 15. That stuff never crosses my mind because I just don’t care about it. I don’t mean that in a bad way. Music has allowed me to have a wonderful career and it’s the thing I always wanted to do. But growing up, all I wanted to do was write music on my own and sing and perform it as best I could.

I’ve always said that success to me was always the ability to continue doing it. That’s all I ever wanted. So I’m just thankful that I get the opportunity to write my thoughts down and go and sing them for people.

Going back to the beginning, did you have models that you looked to as a guide map for the type of career you wanted to have?

I think early on when I started to dig into Neil Young, I was able to see how he was able to — and is still able to — do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. He loses people along the way, then people come back. If he wants to do a solo acoustic tour, he does it. If he wants to bring Crazy Horse back, he does it. If he wants to form a band with Willie Nelson’s son, he’ll do that too.