Quotes from Luke Hemmings

We're never going to write an 'American Idiot' song.

Wow. Debuting No. 1 on the ARIA charts on my first solo release means more than I could ever express.

We live in a world that someone can say anything about anyone and it can be seen as the truth.

We are all human and all make mistakes, sometimes we hurt the ones we love and inevitably, ourselves in the process.

We used to play Jet before we go on stage.

I was very lucky to be a part of going to so many different countries and cities and seeing so many different cultures and people, living that lifestyle at such a young age.

I could relate to a band from a small town, talking about wanting to get out.

I had the Slash 'How to Play Guitar' DVD. I just wanted to be the best guitarist, like, ever. My brother played guitar, and he taught me 'Smoke on the Water,' and I played it over and over again for ages.

I love being in the band and I love being the fourth member of 5SOS, but someone I've seen do something separate well is Brandon Flowers from The Killers. I love that he has a place where he can go. As a career I like that a lot; it just seems like a creative place that he can keep going back to.

I love being in the band, I love being that person and it's such a beautiful and ridiculous adventure but that has an effect mentally, good and bad, just from being the age we were.

Teeth' came about after a month or two long blur of writing and pushing ourselves to go a step further than 'Youngblood.' It was a tumultuous time in my life and the lyrics in the song definitely reflect that.

Obviously we're pop songwriters.

I just see us as songwriters.

The only way to be original in your songwriting is to write about your own experiences, and I think that's what we try to do as a band.

I grew up with a lot of Australian rock music. My dad loves AC/DC and INXS was a big one. My mom was more on the softer musical end of the spectrum, so Crowded House and stuff like that. Definitely all of my rock influences are very Australian typical.

Calm' speaks on a journey through a young man's life, for better or for worse.

Our lives are intertwined. We have individual lives and this beautiful band that we started when we were so young. It holds such a special place.

Like Good Charlotte, Green Day had a huge influence on me. Just the way they play live and the energy they bring to a show is incredible. They can really command a whole stadium.

There's no fear in me that the band is coming to an end.

At the start of the band's career, I had ideas for songs and thoughts I figured out, but at the time I wasn't sure how to write music or to finish a song. So for me to have finished a whole album on my own is a huge feat. That would be impressive to 15-year-old me. I think he'd be stoked.

I think for a band like us, we're all really close friends. We grew up and went to school together. We're not by ourselves.

I've had a lot of hurdles to overcome in my musical journey, but since coming onto the scene with 5SOS, we've really had to fight to be respected as genuine artists.

I've been into Yellowcard for a while. They've put out a lot of great albums.

I don't know anything about the Chicago Bears, but I know a few things about bears. I know they eat fish out of rivers sometimes. They like salmon. They're cuddly-looking, but they're very vicious.