You can make your own records and videos [inexpensively]. It means that artists sell on their merits rather than the size of their trousers.

As much as I love being at home, I was there long enough to where I was getting a little antsy. I've never been happier to get on a bus.

Generally I just go through my journals and think about what's going on at the time. There's never really an agenda, thematically, and I'd be lying if I said I had a hard goal. It's just what's there (in my journals) and where the music takes me. If anything, the five of us being at home and near the people that we loved (while recording the album) inspired me.

It's as close to a normal job as I've ever had in terms of the working hours. We go in from 10 to 5, come out for a little bit, have dinner, and come back out for the evening shift. We worked Monday through Friday, and it was nice like that.

I'm never happier than when I'm being creative, whether that's with Coldplay or other artists. I just love being in the studio.

The great thing about being the son of Maya Angelou is that I had the good fortune to grow up around some of the greatest black artists, dancers, singers, musicians, and actors of our time.