I got to work with a lot of great producers. That's where I really got my chops and started to really understand this music business.

It's all about work when you reach up, tap in and step on that field. You don't mess around when you go through that gate.

The last two weeks, we've been without our coach. It's a big factor, and it's something we have to work through. There's no way around it. It's not like we can change the ruling or anything. When he is there, his presence is known. We all have to step up as a team and try and get a victory [tonight].

I can serve God and I can be cool. I don't want to listen to anything that's whack either.

It's important to me that my music touches lives. Not everybody is Christian, but one thing people do have in common is that we all have struggles. We all have issues. We all have tragedies. I feel music should be there to heal, to give you a direction and give you hope. That's what I'm about.

It was honestly a huge morale boost for us. We're going into the fifth year of our show, we work out in the [San Fernando] Valley in this old hospital, it's a billion degrees and we didn't have a slot on the fall schedule. [The Emmy attention] really raised people's spirits.