Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am has gotta lot of feelings, and he shared them exclusively with Us Weekly! Read on to learn 25 things you might not know about the Translation musician, 45 — including his favorite No. 1 song, when he knew he made it big and who the person was that left him starstruck.

1. [The Black Eyed Peas] went on tour the day after 9/11 because my grandmother said, “Don’t stay at home afraid. Do your job and bring joy to people.”

2. We wrote “Where Is the Love?” right after that tour.

3. I’ve never had a job. I started doing music when I was 17.

4. In high school, I was voted most likely to succeed, but everyone called me a space cadet because I was way out there!

5. My favorite albums growing up were by [the hip-hop trio] De La Soul.

6. When I met Eazy-E for the first time, it was surreal because I knew my dream was about to come true.

7. I love robotics.

8. When the Black Eyed Peas took our eight-year break, no one thought we could come back. We were dropped from our label.

9. I [was] starstruck when I met Steve Jobs. We [once] sat in his vegetable garden discussing how building a business is like creating an orchestra or a band.

10. The best advice I’ve received recently [is] don’t react emotionally. It gives me the tenacity to move on.

11. My wildest fan experience happened in Australia, a guy had a huge picture of my face tattooed on his arm.

12. The best concert [I’ve ever been] to was my own in London. [I loved] watching the families in the audience creating memories.

13. On a Sunday, you [will] find me eating vegan pancakes and working out.

14. I love going out and looking for talent. I look for computer programmers for developing apps and my charity school [which I started] with Laurene Powell Jobs.

15. We have students at all of the Ivy League [universities] — and 100 percent of our students are going to college this year.

16. My secret talent is cooking vegan tamales with Impossible [Foods] meat.

17. My favorite acting job was playing John Wraith in [2009’s] X-Men.

18. My favorite item in my wardrobe are my drop-crotch pants. I call them my “ballroom” pants.

19. My first big spending purchase was a studio. I still use the same one. I created “Boom Boom Pow” and “Work B—ch” there.

20. My pet peeve is when I’m not able to let go of things — simple things like, “Is this song finished?”

21. My favorite No. 1 is “I Gotta Feeling.”

22. I’m obsessed with The Mandalorian. I miss season 1 Baby Yoda.

23. Shakira and I worked on “Girl Like Me” for 10 years! I’m so happy how it came out and her visuals for the video blew me away. I love the dance!

24. My favorite sport is basketball.

25. I like to solve problems and I really work to give back to the community that I come from.

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Sophie Dweck